Bell Textron X-76 SPRINT

The SPRINT (Speed and Runway Independent Technologies) program was begun by DARPA in November 2023. The goal is to develop an air vehicle, which can vertically take-off and land, hover for extended periods, and also fly at speeds of 740-830 km/h (400-450 kts). In May 2024, preliminary design contracts were awarded to Aurora Flight Sciences and Bell Textron. One year later, in June 2025, it was announced that Bell Textron was selected to design, build and test-fly an unmanned demonstrator for SPRINT. In October that year, the forthcoming aircraft was designated X-76A.

Image: Bell Textron

X-76A

The X-76A will be powered by two turbofan/turboshaft engines in the fuselage. For VTOL, hover and low-speed flight, they act as turboshafts, driving two large wingtip-mounted tiltable rotors/propellers. In high-speed forward flight, the rotors are stowed in their nacelles, and the engines operate as pure turbofans. At contract award, flight tests of the SPRINT demonstrator were expected for early 2028.

Designation Note: The number 76 is an out-of-sequence allocation in the X-series. According to DARPA, the X-76 designation "is a deliberate nod to the revolutionary spirit of 1776".

Specifications

No details about the characteristics of the X-76A are available.

Main Sources

[1] DARPA: SPRINT: Speed and Runway Independent Technologies
[2] DARPA: DARPA’s new X-76: the speed of a jet, the freedom of a helicopter, March 2026
[3] Air&Space Forces Magazine, John A. Tirpak: DARPA Picks Bell Textron for New Runway-less Drone X-Plane, July 2025

Back to Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 4

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Last Updated: 9 March 2026