One of the Pentagon's most secretive groups of experts has revealed renderings of its latest military plane meant for unique, critical special operations missions. The new plane, dubbed the X-76, is part of a joint effort with the US Special Operations Command and the plane's manufacturer, Bell Textron. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Pentagon's advanced research arm, announced the next-generation high-speed, runway-independent aircraft on Monday. The agency released two renderings of the next-generation plane showing both an unmanned and manned version. 'For too long, the runway has been both an enabler and a tether, granting speed but creating a critical vulnerability,' said Commander Ian Higgins, DARPA's SPRINT program manager.

Source: Daily Mail March 10, 2026 08:11 UTC