List of X-planes

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the US Experimental planes. For the simulator, see X-Plane (simulator).

Bell X-1-2

The X-planes are a series of experimental United States aircraft and rockets, used to test and evaluate new technologies and aerodynamic concepts. They have an X designator within the US system of aircraft designations, which denotes the experimental research mission.

Not all US experimental aircraft have been designated as X-planes; some received US Navy designations before 1962,[1] while others have been known only by manufacturers' designations,[N 1] non-'X'-series designations,[N 2] or classified codenames.[N 3] This list only includes the designated X-planes.

History

The X-planes concept officially came into being in 1944, as a joint programme between the

US Marine Corps
(USMC) have also since sponsored X-plane projects.

The first experimental aircraft specification, for a

Muroc Air Force Base, California, now known as Edwards Air Force Base.[3] The majority of X-plane testing has since taken place there.[4]

X-planes have since accomplished many aviation "firsts" including breaking speed and altitude barriers, varying wing sweep in flight, implementing exotic alloys and propulsion innovations, and many more.[2]

New X-planes appeared fairly regularly for many years until the flow temporarily stopped in the early 1970s. A series of experimental hypersonic projects, including an advanced version of the Martin Marietta X-24 lifting body, were turned down. Eventually issues with the Rockwell HiMAT advanced UAV led to a crewed X-plane with forward sweep, the Grumman X-29, which flew in 1984.[5]

Some of the X-planes have been well publicized, while others, such as the X-16, have been developed in secrecy.

rocket plane of the early 1960s achieved comparable fame to that of the X-1.[citation needed] X-planes 8, 9, 11, 12, and 17 were actually missiles[8]
used to test new types of engines, and some other vehicles were unoccupied or UAVs (some were remotely flown, some were partially or fully autonomous).

Most X-planes are not expected to go into full-scale production; one exception was the

Joint Strike Fighter Program, and has entered production as the F-35 Lightning II.[9]

List

In the list, the date is that of the first flight, or of cancellation if it never flew.

List of X-planes
Image Type Manufacturer Agency Date Role Notes
X-1 Bell
NACA
 1946 High-speed and high-altitude flight First aircraft to break the sound barrier in level flight. Proved aerodynamic viability of thin wing sections.[10]
X-1A X-1B X-1C X-1D Bell USAF, NACA 1951 High-speed and high-altitude flight
X-1E Bell USAF, NACA 1955 High-speed and high-altitude flight
X-2 Bell USAF 1952 High-speed and high-altitude flight First aircraft to exceed Mach 3.[11]
X-3 Stiletto
Douglas
 USAF, NACA 1952 Highly loaded trapezoidal wing Titanium alloy construction; Underpowered, but provided insights into inertia coupling.[12]
X-4 Bantam
 Northrop USAF, NACA 1948 Transonic tailless aircraft[13]
X-5 Bell USAF, NACA 1951 variable geometry First aircraft to fly with variable wing sweep.[14]
X-6 Convair USAF, AEC 1957 Nuclear Propulsion Not built. The
Convair NB-36H experiment, a B-36 modified to carry (but not powered by) a nuclear reactor, flew from 1955 to 1957.[15][16]
X-7 Lockheed USAF, USA, USN 1951
Ramjet engines.[17]
X-8 Aerobee Aerojet NACA, USAF, USN 1949 Upper air research[18] Later models used as sounding rockets.
X-9 Shrike
 Bell USAF 1949 Guidance and propulsion technology Assisted development of
GAM-63 Rascal missile.[19]
X-10 North American USAF 1953
SM-64 Navajo missile testbed.[20]
X-11
 Convair USAF 1953 Proposed SM-65 Atlas missile testbed.[21]
X-12
 Convair USAF 1953 Proposed SM-65 Atlas missile testbed.[22]
X-13 Vertijet
Ryan
 USAF, USN 1955
Vertical takeoff and landing
(VTOL)
tailsitting VTOL flight.[23]
X-14 Bell USAF, NASA 1957 VTOL
Vectored thrust configuration for VTOL flight.[24]
X-15 North American USAF, NASA 1959
Hypersonic
, high-altitude flight 		First crewed hypersonic aircraft; capable of suborbital spaceflight.[25]
X-15A-2 North American USAF, NASA 1964
Hypersonic
, high-altitude flight 		Major Pete Knight flew the X-15A-2 to a Mach 6.70, making it the fastest piloted flight of the X-plane program.
X-16 Bell USAF 1954 High-altitude reconnaissance[26] "X-16" designation used to hide true purpose.[27] Canceled and never flew.
X-17 Lockheed USAF, USN 1956 High Mach number
reentry.[28]
X-18 Hiller USAF, USN 1959 Vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) Evaluated the tiltwing concept for VTOL flight.[29]
X-19 Curtiss-Wright Tri-service 1963 Tandem tiltrotor VTOL[30] XC-143 designation requested but turned down.[31]
X-20 Dyna-Soar
 Boeing USAF 1963 Reusable spaceplane Intended for military missions.[32] Canceled and never built.
X-21A Northrop USAF 1963 Boundary layer control[33]
X-22 Bell Tri-service 1966 Quad ducted fan tiltrotor STOVL[34]
X-23 PRIME
 Martin Marietta USAF 1966 Maneuvering
atmospheric reentry[35]
 Designation never officially assigned.[31]
X-24A
 Martin Marietta USAF, NASA 1969 Low-speed lifting body[36]
X-24B
 Martin Marietta USAF, NASA 1973 Low-speed lifting body[37]
X-25 Bensen USAF 1955 Commercial light autogyro for downed pilots.[38]
X-26 Frigate
Schweizer
US Army
, USN 		1967 Training
observation aircraft[39]
X-27
 Lockheed None 1971 high-performance research aircraft. High-performance fighter[40] Proposed development of Lockheed CL-1200 Lancer. Canceled and never flew.
X-28 Sea Skimmer Osprey USN 1970 Low-cost aerial policing seaplane[41]
X-29 Grumman DARPA, USAF, NASA 1984 Forward-swept wing[42]
X-30 NASP Rockwell NASA, DARPA, USAF 1993 Single-stage-to-orbit spaceplane[43] Canceled and never built.
X-31 Rockwell-MBB DARPA, USAF,
BdV
 1990 Thrust vectoring supermaneuverability[44]
X-32A Boeing USAF, USN, USMC, RAF 2000
Joint Strike Fighter[45]
X-32B 2001
X-33 Lockheed Martin NASA 2001 Half-scale reusable launch vehicle prototype.[46] Prototype never completed.
X-34
Orbital Sciences
 NASA 2001 Reusable pilotless spaceplane.[47] Never flew.
X-35A Lockheed Martin USAF, USN, USMC, RAF 2000
Joint Strike Fighter[48]
X-35B 2001 First in family to use VTOL. Also used unconventional mode of lift engine (lift fan).
X-35C 2000
X-36 McDonnell Douglas NASA 1997 28% scale tailless fighter[49]
X-37 Boeing USAF, USSF, NASA 2010 Reusable orbital spaceplane[50] Drop test performed in 2006. Seven flights to space since 22 April 2010
X-38 Scaled Composites NASA 1998 Lifting body Crew Return Vehicle[51]
X-39
 Unknown USAF Future Aircraft Technology Enhancements (FATE) program.[52] Designation never officially assigned.[31]
X-40A Boeing USAF, NASA 1998 80% scale Space Maneuver Vehicle X-37 prototype.[53]
X-41 Unknown USAF Maneuvering re-entry vehicle.[54]
X-42 Unknown USAF Expendable liquid propellant upper-stage rocket.[55]
X-43 Hyper-X Micro-Craft NASA 2001 Hypersonic Scramjet[56]
X-44 MANTA
 Lockheed Martin USAF, NASA 2000
F-22-based Multi-Axis No-Tail Aircraft thrust vectoring[57]
 Canceled, never flew.
X-45 Boeing DARPA, USAF 2002
Unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV)[58]
X-46 Boeing DARPA, USN 2003
Unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV).[59]
 Naval use. Canceled, never flew.
X-47A Pegasus
 Northrop Grumman DARPA, USN 2003
Unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV)[60]
 Naval use.
X-47B Northrop Grumman DARPA, USN 2011 UCAV Naval use.
X-47C Northrop Grumman USAF Manned bomber Proposal for a new-generation strategic bomber. Design only.
X-48 Boeing NASA 2007
Blended Wing Body (BWB)[61]
X-49 SpeedHawk Piasecki US Army 2007
Compound helicopter Vectored Thrust Ducted Propeller (VTDP) testbed.[62]
X-50 Dragonfly Boeing DARPA 2003
Canard Rotor/Wing[63]
X-51 Waverider
 Boeing USAF 2010[64] Hypersonic scramjet[65]
— X-52 — — — — Number skipped to avoid confusion with Boeing B-52 Stratofortress.[31]
X-53
 Boeing NASA, USAF 2002 Active Aeroelastic Wing[66]
X-54 Gulfstream NASA Low-noise supersonic transport[67] in development.
X-55 Lockheed Martin USAF 2009 Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft (ACCA)[68]
X-56 Lockheed Martin USAF/NASA 2013 Active flutter suppression and gust load alleviation Part of the high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) reconnaissance aircraft program.[69]
X-57 Maxwell ESAero/Tecnam NASA 2023 Low emission plane powered entirely by electric motors[70] Part of NASA's Scalable Convergent Electric Propulsion Technology Operations Research project
SCEPTOR
). Cancelled in 2023, never flew.
— X-58 — — — — Number skipped; slot apparently assigned to Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie.[71]
X-59 Quesst Lockheed Martin NASA 2024 Prototype quiet supersonic transport aircraft[72]
X-60 Generation Orbit Launch Services USAF
hypersonic flight research[73]
X-61 Gremlins Dynetics DARPA 2020 Air-launched and air-recoverable reconnaissance unmanned air vehicle (UAV)[74][75]
X-62 VISTA
 Lockheed Martin/Calspan USAF 2021 Variable In-flight Simulator Test Aircraft. First flew in 1993 as the
NF-16D (for the MATV program). Designated the X-62A during a major research system upgrade in 2021. Assigned to the USAF Test Pilot School.[76]
— X-63 — — — — Number skipped
— X-64 — — — — Number skipped
X-65 CRANE Aurora Flight Sciences DARPA 2025 Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors[77]
X-66 Boeing NASA 2028 Transonic Truss-Braced Wing[78]

See also

Notes

  1. Piasecki PA-97
  2. ^ For example, the NASA AD-1 and Bell XV-15
  3. ^ For example, the Northrop Tacit Blue

References

  1. ^ "D-558-I" NASA Dryden Fact Sheets. NASA. Accessed May 8, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Miller 1983, p.9.
  3. ^ Miller 1983, pp.15-17.
  4. ^ "X-Planes Experimental Aircraft". Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  5. ^ Miller 1983, p.13.
  6. ^ Miller 2001, p. 209
  7. ^ First Generation X-1 (fact sheet), Dryden: NASA, retrieved 8 May 2010.
  8. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 14,15,17,18,24.
  9. ^ A history of the Joint Strike Fighter Program, UK: Martin-Baker, January 2010, archived from the original on 30 December 2010.
  10. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 5–7.
  11. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 8.
  12. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 9.
  13. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 10.
  14. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 11.
  15. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 12.
  16. ^ Miller 1983.
  17. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 13.
  18. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 14.
  19. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 15.
  20. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 16.
  21. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 17.
  22. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 18.
  23. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 19.
  24. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 20.
  25. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 21–22.
  26. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 23.
  27. ^ "X-16". Global security, accessed 11 May 2010.
  28. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 24.
  29. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 25.
  30. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 26.
  31. ^ a b c d Parsch 2024, "Missing Designations"
  32. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 27.
  33. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 28.
  34. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 29.
  35. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 30.
  36. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 31.
  37. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 32.
  38. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 33.
  39. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 34.
  40. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 35.
  41. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 36.
  42. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 37.
  43. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 38.
  44. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 39.
  45. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 40–41.
  46. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 42.
  47. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 43.
  48. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 44–45.
  49. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 46.
  50. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 47.
  51. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 48.
  52. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 49.
  53. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 50.
  54. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 51.
  55. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 52.
  56. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 53.
  57. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 54.
  58. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 55.
  59. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 56.
  60. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 57.
  61. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 58.
  62. ^ Parsch 2024, "DOD 4120.15-L"
  63. ^ Jenkins, Landis & Miller 2003, p. 60.
  64. ^ "X-51 Waverider makes historic hypersonic flight". US Air Force Public Affairs. 26 May 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
  65. ^ "X-51 Scramjet Engine Demonstrator - WaveRider" globalsecurity.org. Accessed 2010-05-11.
  66. ^ Jordan 2006
  67. ^ 412015-L
  68. ^ Kaufman 2009
  69. ^ Norris 2012
  70. ^ a b Harrington, J.D.; Kamlet, Matt; Barnstorff, Kathy (17 June 2016). "NASA Hybrid Electric Research Plane Gets X Number, New Name". NASA.gov. NASA. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  71. ^ The Air Force Valkyrie Drone, a Sidekick for Human-Piloted Planes, Will Fly This Year
  72. ^ Jim, Banke (27 June 2018). "NASA's Experimental Supersonic Aircraft Now Known as X-59 QueSST". NASA. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  73. ^ "U.S. Air Force Designates GO1 Hypersonic Flight Research Vehicle as X-60A". generationorbit.com. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  74. ^ "Earthquake damage delays Gremlins trial". Flight International. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  75. ^ "Dynetics X-61A Gremlins makes first flight, but destroyed after parachute fails". Flight International. 17 January 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  76. ^ Giancarlo Casem (30 Jul 2021) NF-16D VISTA becomes X-62A, paves way for Skyborg autonomous flight tests
  77. ^ Hadley, Greg (16 May 2023). "Meet the X-65: DARPA's New Plane Has No External Control Surfaces". Air & Space Forces Magazine. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  78. ^ O’Shea, Claire (12 June 2023). "Next Generation Experimental Aircraft Becomes NASA's Newest X-Plane". NASA. Retrieved 13 June 2023.

Bibliography

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_X-planes&oldid=1220746672"