X-Planes: The worlds fastest jets From the original X-1 in the 1940s to the X-51A Waverider last year, these research aircraft have regularly pushed the bounds of what flies. X-Plane group shot (1953) In the world of aviation, X-Planes hold a special place. Theyre a glimpse into the future, a look at whats coming in a later generation of aircraft--and, to a degree, spacecraft as well. Over the last seven decades, theyve been a proving ground for developments including delta wings, tailless aircraft, and supersonic flight. Where once the experimental aircraft required the steady hand and quick reflexes of a test pilot in the cockpit, in recent years, theyve tended to be unmanned vessels--a central theme in aerospace advances generally. Its those newer, pilotless X-Planes that have been in the headlines of late, first with the X-37B that was launched into orbit last year, and then again with the hypersonic X-51A. X-Planes over the years, starting with this vintage group shot from 1953. In the center is the X-3, and clockwise from the left are an X-1A, a D-558-1, an XF-92A, an X-5, a D-558-2, and an X-4. (A few aircraft, such as the D-558 series and the later M2-F1/2/3 series, never got the X designation, though theyre included in the family because they served the same goal of flight research.) Photo by: NASA / Caption by: Jon Skillings cnet/pictures/x-planes-the-worlds-fastest-jets/?ftag=ACQ63afa6d
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 00:12:56 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015