NASA to Make Announcement on Its X-Plane Program

NASA's experimental X-Planes. (NASA)

NASA is set to make an announcement on its experimental X-planes on Feb. 29.

The X-planes are experimental aircraft that are being developed by NASA with the intention to pave the way for the aviation industry.

We need the X-planes to prove...how that tech can make aviation more Earth friendly.

— Jaiwon Shin, NASA

In a press release, NASA said that its upcoming announcement will talk about the “agency’s plan for a series of experimental aircraft.”

One of the aircraft being developed by NASA is “the world’s first ‘quiet’ supersonic X-plane.”

A version of one of NASA's experimental X-planes. (NASA/Boeing)

NASA’s X-plane program is part of its efforts to create planes that are more fuel efficient. The series of X-planes that are being developed will use green energy, use only half the amount of fuel, and reduce noise pollution by half.

According to NASA the X-planes are “a critical part of President Obama’s push to build a clean transportation system for the 21st century.”

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“We need the X-planes to prove, in an undeniable way, how that tech can make aviation more Earth friendly, reduce delays and maintain safety for the flying public, and support an industry that’s critical to our nation’s economic vitality,” said Jaiwon Shin, associate administrator for NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, on the NASA website.

A test of a truss-braced wing concept that NASA says could be "another subsonic X-plane" model. (NASA Langley/Sandie Gibbs)

According to NASA, its research has the potential to save the airline industry $255 billion over a 25-year period after the technology is adopted.

The announcement will be made by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport at 1:30 EST on Feb. 29.