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, first supersonic flight
• Bell X-2 – swept wing supersonic rocket plane
• Douglas X-3 Stiletto – needle-like supersonic aircraft
• Northrop X-4 Bantam – semi-tailless aircraft
• Bell X-5 – in-flight wing sweeping aircraft
• Convair X-6 – nuclear-powered aircraft
• Lockheed X-7 – ramjet missile
• Aerojet General X-8 – sounding rocket
• Bell X-9 Shrike – surface-to-air guided missile prototype
• North American X-10 – surface-to-surface missile demonstrator
• Convair X-11 – testbed for Atlas rocket
• Convair X-12 – testbed for Atlas rocket
• Ryan X-13 Vertijet – VTOL jet aircraft
• Bell X-14 – VTOL aircraft
• North American X-15 – rocket plane
• Bell X-16 – high altitude reconaissance aircraft
• Lockheed X-17 – rocket test of high-mach reentry
• Hiller X-18 – tiltwing STOVL transport
• Curtiss-Wright X-19 – tiltrotor VTOL transport
• Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar – early spaceplane
• Northrop X-21 – wings with laminar flow control
• Bell X-22 – tiltrotor V/STOL transport
• Martin-Marietta X-23 – lifting body
• Martin-Marietta X-24 – lifting body
• Bensen X-25 – autogyro
• Schweizer X-26 Frigate – sailplane
• Lockheed X-27 – lightweight fighter
• Pereira X-28 Sea Skimmer – inexpensive single-seat flying boat
• Grumman X-29 – fighter with forward-swept wings
• Rockwell X-30 – spaceplane ("National Aerospace Plane" or "NASP")
• Rockwell-MBB X-31 – thrust vectoring fighter
• Boeing X-32 – Joint Strike Fighter prototype
• Lockheed Martin X-33 – reusable launch vehicle demonstrator ("VentureStar")
• Orbital Sciences X-34 – unmanned spaceplane testbed
• Lockheed Martin X-35 – Joint Strike Fighter prototype, now F-35
• McDonnell Douglas X-36 – tailless fighter
• Boeing X-37 – spaceplane ("Future-X")
• X-38 – lifting body demonstrators for the Crew Return Vehicle
• X-39 – unused designation reserved for Future Aircraft Technology Enhancements programme
• Boeing X-40 – scaled-down prototype of X-37
• X-41 Common Aero Vehicle – classified military spaceplane
• X-42 Pop-Up Upper Stage – classified liquid-fueled rocket
• Boeing X-43 – hypersonic scramjet test ("Hyper-X")
• Lockheed Martin X-44 MANTA – tailless fighter
• Boeing X-45 – UCAV demonstrator
• Boeing X-46 – UCAV demonstator
• Northrop Grumman X-47 Pegasus – UCAV demonstator
• Boeing X-48 – blended wing body flying wing
• Sikorsky Piasecki X-49 – thrust vectoring helicopter
• Boeing X-50 Dragonfly – canard rotor/wing demonstrator (airplane/helicopter hybrid)

See also

• Experimental aircraft
• List of experimental aircraft
• List of military aircraft of the United States
• X-plane gallery

Reference

• Jay Miller, The X-Planes: X-1 to X-45 (Motorbooks International, 2001)

External link

• Early X-planes

• American X-Vehicles: An Inventory X-1 to X-50, SP-2000–4531 – June 2003; NASA online PDF Monograph