Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
X-plane
- This article is about experimental aircraft. For the flight simulator, see X-Plane.
The X-planes are a series of experimental United States aircraft (and some rockets) used for testing of new technologies and usually kept highly secret during development.
The first of these, the Bell X-1, became well-known as the first plane to break the sound barrier, which it did in 1947. Later X-planes yielded important research results, but only the North American X-15 rocket plane of the early 1960s achieved comparable fame. X-planes 7 through 12 were actually missiles, and some other vehicles were unpiloted. Most X-planes are not expected to ever go into full-scale production, and usually only a few are produced. One exception is the Lockheed Martin X-35, which competed against the Boeing X-32 to become the Joint Strike Fighter.
X-plane projects are still underway as of 2004.
- Bell X-1 - rocket plane
- Bell X-2 - swept wing
- Douglas X-3 Stiletto
- Northrop X-4 Bantam - swept wing, semi-tailless
- Bell X-5 - in-flight wing sweeping
- Convair X-6 - nuclear-powered
- Lockheed X-7 - ramjet missile
- Aerojet General X-8
- Bell X-9 Shrike
- North American X-10
- Convair X-11
- Convair X-12
- Ryan X-13 Vertijet
- Bell X-14
- North American X-15
- Bell X-16
- Lockheed X-17
- Hiller X-18
- Curtiss-Wright X-19
- Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar
- Northrop X-21
- Bell X-22
- Martin-Marietta X-23
- Martin-Marietta X-24
- Bensen X-25
- Schweizer X-26 Frigate
- Lockheed X-27
- Pereira X-28 Sea Skimmer
- Grumman X-29
- Rockwell X-30
- Rockwell-MBB X-31
- Boeing X-32
- Lockheed Martin X-33
- Orbital Sciences X-34
- Lockheed Martin X-35
- McDonnell Douglas X-36
- Boeing X-37 - Future-X
- X-38
- X-39 - unused designation reserved for Future Aircraft Technology Enhancements programme
- Boeing X-40
- X-41 Common Aero Vehicle
- X-42 Pop-Up Upper Stage
- Boeing X-43
- Lockheed Martin X-44 MANTA
- Boeing X-45 UCAV
- Boeing X-46
- Northrop Grumman X-47 Pegasus - UCAV
- Boeing X-48 - blended wing body
- Sikorsky Piasecki X-49
- Boeing X-50 - canard rotor/wing
See also
Reference
- Jay Miller , The X-Planes: X-1 to X-45 (Motorbooks International , 2001)
External link
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