McDonnell Douglas X-36

X-36
	X-36 in flight
Role	Tailless Fighter Agility Research Aircraft
Manufacturer	McDonnell Douglas
First flight	17 May 1997
Status	Retired
Number built	2

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The McDonnell Douglas X-36 Tailless Fighter Agility Research Aircraft was a subscale prototype jet designed to fly without the traditional tail surfaces common on most aircraft.

[edit] Design and development

The X-36 was built to 28% scale of a possible fighter aircraft, and controlled by a pilot in a ground station virtual cockpit with a view provided by a video camera mounted in the nose of the aircraft.

For control, a canard forward of the wing was used as well as split ailerons and an advanced thrust vectoring nozzle for directional control. The X-36 was unstable in both pitch and yaw axes, so an advanced digital fly-by-wire control system was put in place to stabilize the aircraft.

First flown on May 17, 1997, it made 31 successful research flights. It handled very well, and the program is reported to have met or exceeded all project goals.

The aircraft is sometimes referred to as the Boeing X-36 as the test program was still in progress when McDonnell Douglas merged with the Boeing Company. In the adjoining photograph it is carrying Boeing markings.

[edit] Potential development

The X-36 is a scaled-down representation of a theoretical advanced fighter aircraft configuration. The extreme maneuverability and stable nature at both ends of the speed envelope would make it ideal for use as a fighter.^{[citation needed]} Despite the potential suitability, there have been no announcements by Boeing or any government agency regarding the X-36's development as a fighter as of 2009.

[edit] Survivors

One X-36 is at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. It arrived on July 16, 2003, the same day as the Boeing Bird of Prey.^[2] It is displayed in the Museum's Research & Development Gallery.^[3]

[edit] Specifications (X-36)

Data from Designation Systems^[4] American X-Vehicles^[1]

General characteristics

Crew: none
Length: 18 ft 2.5 in (5.55 m)
Wingspan: 10 ft 4 in (3.15 m)
Height: 3 ft 1.5 in (0.95 m)
Max takeoff weight: 1,250 lb (560 kg)
Powerplant: × Williams International F112 turbofan , 700 lbf (3.1 kN) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 234 mph (375 km/h)
Service ceiling: 20,500 ft (6,100 m)
Thrust/weight: 0.56

[edit] See also

List of experimental aircraft

Related development

Boeing X-45

Comparable aircraft

Boeing Bird of Prey

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b Jenkins, Landis, and Miller 2003. p. 46.
^ "Boeing Bird of Prey and X-36 Inducted into Air Force Museum". Boeing, July 16, 2003.
^ NASA/Boeing X-36. National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
^ Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) X-36. designation-systems.net, January 9, 2006.

Jenkins, Dennis R., Tony Landis, and Jay Miller. SP-2003-4531, "American X-Vehicles, An Inventory—X-1 to X-50". NASA, June 2003.

[edit] External links

NASA fact sheet on the X-36 Tailless Fighter Agility Research Aircraft
"X-36 Tailless Prototype Fighter Completes Phase 1 Flight Testing". McDonnell Douglas, July 8, 1997.

[X-Vehicles_p46-0] Jenkins, Landis, and Miller 2003. p. 46.

[1] "Boeing Bird of Prey and X-36 Inducted into Air Force Museum". Boeing, July 16, 2003.

[2] NASA/Boeing X-36. National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.

[3] Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) X-36. designation-systems.net, January 9, 2006.

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McDonnell Douglas X-36

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents

[edit] Design and development

[edit] Potential development

[edit] Survivors

[edit] Specifications (X-36)

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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