Armstrong Flight Research Center

Advanced Air Vehicles Program

Aeronautics Technology

Flight Demos Capabilities

Flight Innovation

NASA Tests Technology Offering Potential Fuel Savings for Commercial Aviation

NASA researchers successfully completed a high-speed taxi test of a scale model of a design that could make future aircraft more efficient by improving how air flows across a wing’s surface, saving fuel and money. On Jan. 12, the Crossflow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow (CATNLF) test article reached speeds of approximately 144 mph, marking its […]

Posted January 21, 2026

Aeronautics

NASA Aircraft

Quesst (X-59)

NASA Chase Aircraft Ensures X-59’s Safety in Flight

As NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft continues a series of flight tests over the California high desert in 2026, its pilot will be flying with a buddy closely looking out for his safety. That colleague will be another test pilot in a separate chase aircraft. His job as chase pilot: keep a careful watch on things as he tracks the […]

Posted January 20, 2026

Aeronautics

Ames Research Center

Commercial Supersonic Technology

Flight Demos Capabilities

Glenn Research Center

Quesst (X-59)

NASA Adds Two F-15 Aircraft to Support Supersonic Flight Research

Two retired U.S. Air Force F-15 jets have joined the flight research fleet at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, transitioning from military service to a new role enabling breakthrough advancements in aerospace.

Posted January 15, 2026

Advanced Air Mobility

Airborne Science

Commercial Supersonic Technology

Flight Demos Capabilities

Quesst (X-59)

STEM Engagement at NASA

Ultra-Efficient Aviation

NASA Armstrong Advances Flight Research and Innovation in 2025

In 2025, NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, advanced work across aeronautics, Earth science, exploration technologies, and emerging aviation systems, reinforcing its role as one of the agency’s primary test sites for aeronautics research.

Posted December 22, 2025

NASA Lab Completes Engine Checks on New Aircraft

Justin Hall, left, controls a subscale aircraft as Justin Link holds the aircraft in place during preliminary engine tests on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at NASA’s Armstong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.

Posted December 18, 2025

Aeronautics

Quesst (X-59)

NASA’s Quesst Mission Marks X-59’s Historic First Flight

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft took off for its historic first flight on Oct. 28, 2025, at 11:14 a.m. EDT from Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The one-of-a-kind aircraft flew for 67 minutes before landing and taxiing to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.

Posted November 21, 2025

Aeronautics

Commercial Supersonic Technology

NASA Aircraft

Quesst (X-59)

Quesst: The Vehicle

NASA’s X-59 Completes First Flight, Prepares for More Flight Testing

After years of design, development, and testing, NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft took to the skies for the first time Oct. 28, marking a historic moment for the field of aeronautics research and the agency’s Quesst mission. The X-59, designed to fly at supersonic speeds and reduce the sound of loud sonic booms to […]

Posted November 20, 2025

Flight Innovation

Space Technology Mission Directorate

NASA Lab Builds New Aircraft to Support Complex Flight Research

NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, is building a new subscale aircraft to support increasingly complex flight research, offering a more flexible and cost-effective alternative to crewed missions.

Posted September 24, 2025

Advanced Air Vehicles Program

Aeronautics

Ames Research Center

Glenn Research Center

Quesst (X-59)