X Planes,
a family of aircraft built
for flight research
and
never intended for production. |
The X
is for eXperimental,
and originally the designation
was XS for eXperimental
Supersonic. |
To
really find out
about the X Planes programme,
click here:
Dryden
Flight Research Center |
|
| Designation |
Thumbnail |
Flights |
Description |
|
X-1
1946-1958 |
 |
214 |
The first aircraft to break
the sound barrier on 14/10/1947.
Rocket powered and launched
from under the wing of a NB-29
"mother ship".
Research continued with the
X-1A, X-1B and X-1E, providing
flight data for the designs
of later high-performance
aircraft. |
|
X-1A
|
 |
|
X-1B
|
 |
|
X-1E
|
 |
|
X-2
1954-1956 |
 |
17 |
The first aircraft to reach
Mach 3, achieving Mach 3.2
on its last flight which destroyed
the aircraft and sadly killed
the pilot.
The X-2 was the first aircraft
to fly higher than 100,000
feet, achieving a high point
of 126,200 feet. |
|
X-3
1952-1955 |
 |
26 |
Jet-powered
and made of new aircraft materials
such as titanium, the X-3 failed
to achieve the hoped for speeds,
but pioneered in the use of
these new structural materials. |
|
X-4
1948-1953 |
 |
90 |
Powered
by twin turbojet engines and
featuring swept wings with no
horizontal stabiliser, the X-4
helped demonstrate that a semi-tailless
aircraft would fly and provided
valuable data on airflow anomalies. |
|
X-5
1951-1953 |
 |
133 |
The
X-5 had variable sweep wings,
from 20 to 60 degrees. The aircraft
verified wind-tunnel predictions
of reduced drag and improved
performance as the wing angle
changed over the speed range
up to Mach 1. |
|
X-15
1959-1968 |
|
199 |
The X-15 is built internally
of titanium with a skin of
a chrome-nickel alloy known
as Inconel X, and is rocket
powered.
The X-15 first set speed
and altitude records:
Mach 4.43 on Mar. 7, 1961
Mach 5.27 on June 23, 1961
Mach 6.04 on Nov. 9, 1961
Mach 6.7 on Oct. 3, 1967.
354,200 feet (67 miles) on
Aug. 22, 1963 |
|
X-24A
1963-1975 |
 |
|
Wingless vehicles designed
to fly back to Earth from
space and be landed like an
aircraft.
The data gathered by the
lifting body program contributed
to the design of today's space
shuttle program. |
|
X-24B
1963-1975 |
 |
|
X-29
1984-1992 |
 |
437 |
The X-29 became the first
forward-swept-wing aircraft
in the world to exceed Mach
1.
It demonstrated that a highly
unstable aircraft with forward-swept
wings could be flown safely
at high G-loads using a digital
flight-control system. |
|
X-31
1990-1995 |
 |
555 |
The
X-31 Enhanced Fighter Manoeuvrability
demonstrator uses thrust vectoring
by means of carbon-carbon paddles,
and an advanced flight control
system. This gives it high manoeuvrability
and controlled flight at high
angles of attack. |
| X-33 |
 |
0 |
The
X-33 Advanced Technology Demonstrator
was a half-scale vehicle, with
an "aerospike" rocket engine.
An unpiloted vehicle, it was
to be launched vertically and
land horizontally and was expected
to be capable of an altitude
of 50 miles and speeds of more
than Mach 11. However in 2001
NASA funding ceased. |
|
X-34
1999-2001 |
 |
3 |
The
X-34 was a single-engine rocket
that was to be launched from
an Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft.
The X-34 was intended to fly
at Mach 8 and to reach an altitude
of 250,000 feet, but in 2001
NASA funding ceased. |
|
X-35 |
 |
|
First
flew October 24, 2000. Designed
to provide the U.S. Air Force,
Navy and Marine Corps, and the
United Kingdom’s Royal
Navy and Royal Air Force with
an affordable and stealthy tactical
aircraft for the 21st century.
Won the JSF competition and
will be the F-35. |
|
X-36
1997-1998 |
 |
33 |
The
X-36 Tailless Fighter Agility
Research Aircraft demonstrated
that tailless fighters could
achieve superior levels of agility
to today's best military fighter
aircraft. The X-36 was 28% scale,
and remotely piloted. |
| X-37 |
 |
0 |
The
X-37 is to be an Orbital Experimental
Vehicle, lifted into orbit by
the Space Shuttle and returned
to Earth under its own power.
It will be half the length of
the Shuttle payload bay and
is expected to weigh about six
tons. |
|
X-38
1997-2001 |
 |
15 |
The
X-38 Advanced Technology Demonstrator
was designed to prove the concept
of a Crew Return Vehicle for
the International Space Station.
It is expected to be developed
for a fraction of the costs
of previous human space vehicles. |
| X-40A |
 |
|
The
X-40A is shaped like the X-37
but lacks its advanced thermal
protection materials, and is
20% smaller. It is to be drop
tested from helicopters to ensure
that the X-37 flight-testing
is less risky.
|
