Page 3 - Aerotech News and Review Xplanes July 2023

Type
X-1
X-1A, X-1B, X-1C, X-1D X-1E
X-2
X-3 Stiletto
X-4 Bantam
X-5
X-6
X-7
X-8 Aerobee
X-9 Shrike
X-10
X-11
X-12
X-13 Vertijet X-14
X-15 X-15A-2
X-16
X-17 X-18
X-19
X-20 Dyna-Soar
X-21A X-22
X-23 PRIME (Precision Reentry Including Maneuvering reEntry)
X-24A X-24B
X-25
X-26 Frigate
X-27
X-28 Sea Skimmer X-29
X-30 NASP
X-31
X-32A
X-32B
X-33
Manufacturer
Bell
Bell Bell Bell
Douglas
Northrop Bell
Convair
Lockheed Aerojet
Bell
North American Convair Convair
Ryan
Bell
North American North American
Bell
Lockheed Hiller
Curtiss-Wright Boeing
Northrop
Bell
Martin Marietta
Martin Marietta Martin Marietta
Bensen Schweizer Lockheed Osprey Grumman Rockwell Rockwell-MBB Boeing
Boeing Lockheed Martin
Agency Year
USAF/ NACA 1946
USAF/NACA 1951 USAF/NACA 1955 USAF 1952
USAF, NACA 1952
USAF, NACA 1948 USAF, NACA 1951
USAF, AEC 1957
USAF, USA, USN 1951 NACA, USAF, USN 1949
USAF 1949
USAF 1953 USAF 1957 USAF 1957 USAF, USN 1955 USAF, NASA 1957
USAF, NASA 1959 USAF, NASA 1964
USAF 1954
USAF, USN 1956 USAF, USN 1959
Tri-service 1963 USAF 1963
USAF 1963 Tri-service 1966 USAF 1966
USAF, NASA 1969 USAF, NASA 1973
USAF 1955 DARPA, US Army, USN 1967 None 1971 USN 1970 DARPA, USAF, NASA 1984 NASA, DARPA, USAF 1993 DARPA, USAF, BdV 1990 USAF, USN, USMC, RAF 2000 USAF, USN, RAF 2001
Role
High-speed and high altitude flight
High-speed and high-altitude flight High-speed and high-altitude flight
High-speed and high-altitude flight
Highly loaded trapezoidal wing
Transonic tailless aircraft Variable geometry
Nuclear propulsion
Ramjet engines Upper air research
Guidance and propulsion technology
SM-64 Navajo missile testbed SM-65 Atlas missile testbed
SM-65 Atlas missile testbed Vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) VTOL
Hypersonic, high-altitude flight Hypersonic, high-altitude flight
High-altitude reconnaissance
High Mach number reentry
Vertical and/or short take-off and landing
Tandem tiltrotor VTOL Reusable spaceplane
Boundary layer control
Quad ducted fan tiltrotor STOVL Maneuvering atmospheric reentry
Low-speed lifting body
Low-speed lifting body
Commercial light autogyro for downed pilots Training glider for yaw-roll coupling High-performance fighter
Low-cost aerial policing seaplane Forward-swept wing
Single stage to orbit spaceplane Thrust vectoring supermaneuverability Joint Strike Fighter
Joint Strike Fighter
Notes
First aircraft to break the sound bar- rier in level flight. Proved aerody- namic viability of thin wing sections.
First aircraft to exceed Mach 3
Titanium alloy construction; Un- derpowered, but provided insights into inertia coupling
First aircraft to fly with variable wing sweep
Not built. The Convair NB-36H was a B-36 modified to carry a nuclear reactor and flew from 1955 to 1957.
Later models used as sounding rockets
Assisted development of GAM-63 Rascal missile
Tailsitting VTOL flight
Vectored thrust configuration for VTOL flight
First manned hypersonic aircraft; capable of suborbital spaceflight
Maj. Pete Knight flew the X-15A-2 to Mach 6.70, making it the fastest piloted flight of the X-plane program
“X-16” designation used to hide true purpose as a reconnaissance aircraft. Canceled
Evaluated the tiltwing concept for VTOL flight
XC-143 designation proposed
Military spaceplane prototype. Can- celed and never built.
Designation never officially assigned
Quiet observation aircraft Canceled and never flew.
Canceled and never built
Prototype never completed vehicle prototype
Continued on Page 6
NASA
2001 Half-scale reusable launch
Aerotech News and Review
July 21, 2023
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