Overview
- DARPA announced the X-76 designation on March 9 following a successful Critical Design Review, with Bell Textron now building the demonstrator.
- The SPRINT program, conducted with U.S. Special Operations Command, seeks to break the long-standing trade-off between fixed-wing speed and vertical-lift flexibility.
- Program targets include cruising above 400 knots—with materials depicting a 400–450 knot objective—plus the ability to hover and operate from unprepared surfaces.
- With CDR complete, work shifts to manufacturing, integration, assembly and ground testing before a Phase 3 flight test campaign planned for early 2028.
- Bell’s design uses a tiltrotor-like configuration and a reported Stop/Fold rotor system to cut drag during high-speed flight, informed by 2024 wind-tunnel tests at NIAR.