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The table below gives a brief description of the history of the X-Planes from X -1 to X -44.

To access information on any particular Model simply click on the desired model number.

Alternately visit the full table below and simply scroll down the list of models. To move to the top of the full table of models click here.

X-Plane Model Number

To visit a particular X-Plane simply click on the desired model number below

X-1 X-1A X-1B X-1C

X-1D X-1E X-2 X-3 'Stilleto'

X-4 'Bantam' X-5 X-6 X-7

XQ-5 X-8 'Aerobee' X-9 'Shrike' X-10

X-11 X-12 X-13 X-14

X-15 X-16 X-17 X-18

X-19 X-20 X-21 X-22

X-23 X-24 X-25 X-26

X-27 X-28 X-29 X-30

X-31 X-32 X-33 X-34

X-35 X-36 X-37 X-38

X-39 X-40 X-41 X-42

X-43 X-44

Please note - This table is still under construction, parts of the table are still to be entered.

Model Manufacturer Mission Test Period Notes
Index

X-1 Bell Aircraft
Investigate flight beyond the sound barrier.
1946 to 1951
First manned aircraft to achieve supersonic flight on October 14th 1947.
Yes

X-1A Bell Aircraft
Investigating flight behaviour beyond the speeds of sound, including and exceeding twice the speed of sound.
1951 to 1958

Speeds to mach 2.44 achieved and flight behaviour examined and coupling encountered.
Yes

X-1B Bell Aircraft
Investigating flight behaviour beyond the speeds of sound, including and exceeding twice the speed of sound.
1951 to 1958
Speeds to mach 2.44 achieved and flight behaviour examined and coupling encountered.
Yes

X-1C Bell Aircraft
Investigating flight behaviour beyond the speeds of sound, including and exceeding twice the speed of sound.
1951 to 1958
Speeds to mach 2.44 achieved and flight behaviour examined and coupling encountered.
Yes

X-1D Bell Aircraft
Investigating flight behaviour beyond the speeds of sound, including and exceeding twice the speed of sound.
1951 to 1958
Speeds to mach 2.44 achieved and flight behaviour examined and coupling encountered.
Yes

X-1E Bell Aircraft
Investigated performance of improvements to the thin wing.
1955 to 1958
Achieved supersonic flight with a 4% thickness/chord wing.
Yes

X-2 Bell Aircraft
Investigated flight with swept wing as well as aerodynamic heating.
1952 to 1956
Research into high aerodynamic fiction above mach 2.5, as well as pioneering the use of steel alloys.
Yes

X-3 'Stilleto' Douglas Aircraft
Investigated high speed flight at sustained Mach 2.
1954 to 1956
Poor performance due to low engine power.
Yes

X-4 'Bantam' Northrop Aircraft
Investigated Semi-tailless aircraft at transonic speeds.
1950 to 1953
Research showed conventional, semi-tailless, swept wing aircraft not suited for transonic flight.
Yes

X-5 Bell Aircraft
Investigated variable swept-wing geometry between 20 degrees amd 60 degrees.
1952 to 1955
Design based upon the Messerschmitt P.1101 &endash; which lead to the F-111 (General Dynamics) and F-14 (Grumman).
Yes

X-6 General Dynamics
Investigated nuclear propulsion.
1955 to 1957
Neither of the two X-6's completed before the project was cancelled. A b-36 was used as a shielded testbed.
Yes

X-7 Lockhead Missiles & Space
Used as a supersonic/hypersonic ramjet testbed.
1951 to 1956
Established database used for current ramjet/scramjet work. It was the first M-3 air-breathing testbed.
Yes

XQ-5 Lockhead Missiles & Space
Used as a supersonic/hypersonic ramjet testbed.
1951 to 1956
Established database used for current ramjet/scramjet work. It was the first M-3 air-breathing testbed.
Yes

X-8 'Aerobee' Aerojet Engineering
Used as Inexpensive research vehicle/sounding rocket.
1947 to 1956
Originally a successor to the captured German V-2s which had been used to investigate high-altitude payloads.
Yes

X-9 'Shrike' Bell Aircraft
Testbed version of Bell GAM-63 Rascal air-to-surface missile.
1949 to 1953
Demonstrated that air-to &endash;surface missiles could be launched and controlled from heavy bombers.
Yes

X-10 North American
Testbed for SM-64 Navajo cruise missile.
1955 to 1959
Investigated and proved aerodynamics of Navajo missile as well as becoming world's first Mach 2 capable target drone.
Yes

X-11 Atlas A Consolidated &endash;Vultee (became Convair)
Testbed for XB-65 Atlas ICBM ballistic missile.
1957 to 1958
Tested hardware and its performance.
Yes

X-12 Atlas B Consolidated &endash;Vultee (became Convair)
One and a half stage test vehicle for Atlas ICBM.

1958
First full Atlas configuration flown in November 1958 with a mission range of 6,325 miles.

Yes

X-13 Vertjet Ryan Aeronautical
Investigating "tailsitter" VTOL configuration.
1955 to 1958
Confirmed jet-powered VTOL flight.
Yes

X-14 Bell Aircraft
Investigating vectored-thrust VTOL configuration.
1957 to 1981
Data received from this project used in the design of Hawker P.1127.
Yes

X-15 North America
Investigating hypersonic flight with speeds beyond mach 6 and heights of over 250,000 feet.
1959 to 1968
Obtained huge database of hypersonic flight together with unofficial speed record of Mach 6.7 More Information - Click Here
Yes

X-16 Bell Aircraft
Reconnaissance aircraft disguised as an X-plane for secrecy.

1952

Project cancelled &endash; experience, data and some hardware later used for Lockhead U-2 Spy-plane.
Yes

X-17 Lockhead
Multi-stage rocket used in the investigation of re-entry vehicles.
1955 to 1957
Project created database for re-entry vehicle design used within the Atlas and Titan ICBMs.
Yes

X-18 Hiller Aircraft
Investigating large tilt-wing V/STOL aircraft.
1959 to 1964
Used in the design of Vought XC-142 tilt wing aircraft.
Yes

X-19 Curtiss-Wright
Investigation tilt-prop VTOL design.
1963 to 1965
Confirmed dual-tandem tilt &endash;prop concept.
Yes

X-20 Dyna Soar Boeing
Piloted vehicle for hypersonic/orbital research.
1963
Project cancelled &endash; experience and data of materials from this project contributed to database used for Space Shuttle development. More Information - Click Here
Yes

X-21 Northrop
Testbed for boundary layer investigations.
1963 to 1964
Modified Douglas WB-660s confirmed that laminar flow control effective.
Yes

X-22 Bell Aerospace Textron
Investigations into dual-tandem ducted propeller V/STOL aircraft.
1966 to 1986
Confirmed stability for pitch/roll/yaw and thrust control. (No2 flying at Calspan in 1980s).
Yes

X-23 Martin Marietta
Investigating configuration, control & materials for hypersonic lifting-body re-entry vehicle.
1966 to 1967
Confirmed manoeuvrable re-entry vehicle as well as new ablative materials later used on the Shuttle and the X-38.
Yes

X-24 Martin Marietta
Investigated lift:drag and controllability issues.
1969 to 1975
Confirmed lifting-body design for hypersonic/trans-atmosphere vehicles.
Yes

X-25 Benson Aircraft
Investigating unpowered/powered gryo-glinder used by crew abandoning aircraft.
1969 to 1975
Confirmed viability of "gyro-chute" escape concept for aircraft crew.
Yes

X-26 Lockhead/Schweizer
Powered sailplane modified for stealth intelligence gathering purposes.
1967 to 1968
YO-3A used in Vietnam designed from X-26B/QT-2 &endash; some details still classified.
Yes

X-27 Lockhead California
Lightweight fighter prototype based on CL-1200 Lancer.
1971
Project terminated &endash; intended as international F-104 replacement.
Yes

X-28 George Pereira/Osprey Aircraft
Investigating single seated seaplane for police patrols.
1971
Pereira 1, selected from six designs for US Navy's Air Skimmer Project.
Yes

X-29 Grumman Aerospace
Investigating thin, supercritical-section forward swept wing, close coupled canard, variable camber with relaxed stability.
1984 to 1992
Confirmed controlled flight at high angle-of-attack, vortex flow control and aeroelastic tailoring preventing divergence.
Yes

X-30 Never Selected
Single-stage-to-orbit demonstrator for the National AeroSpace Plane (NASP).
1994
Project cancelled &endash; succeeded by Hyper-X (X-43) of the hypersonic experimental vehicle programme.
Yes

X-31
Under Construction

Yes

X-32
Under Construction

Yes

X-33
Under Construction

More Information - Click Here
Yes

X-34
Under Construction

More Information - Click Here
Yes

X-35
Under Construction

Yes

X-36
Under Construction

Yes

X-37
Under Construction

Yes

X-38
Under Construction

More Information - Click Here
Yes

X-39
Under Construction

Yes

X-40
Under Construction

Yes

X-41
Under Construction

Yes

X-42
Under Construction

Yes

X-43
Under Construction

Yes

X-44
Under Construction

Yes

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Website Author: Nick Portwin (portwin@easynet.co.uk)

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Date Last Modified: 31 07 1999

Model	Manufacturer	Mission	Test Period	Notes	Index
X-1	Bell Aircraft	Investigate flight beyond the sound barrier.	1946 to 1951	First manned aircraft to achieve supersonic flight on October 14th 1947.	Yes
X-1A	Bell Aircraft	Investigating flight behaviour beyond the speeds of sound, including and exceeding twice the speed of sound.	1951 to 1958	Speeds to mach 2.44 achieved and flight behaviour examined and coupling encountered.	Yes
X-1B	Bell Aircraft	Investigating flight behaviour beyond the speeds of sound, including and exceeding twice the speed of sound.	1951 to 1958	Speeds to mach 2.44 achieved and flight behaviour examined and coupling encountered.	Yes
X-1C	Bell Aircraft	Investigating flight behaviour beyond the speeds of sound, including and exceeding twice the speed of sound.	1951 to 1958	Speeds to mach 2.44 achieved and flight behaviour examined and coupling encountered.	Yes
X-1D	Bell Aircraft	Investigating flight behaviour beyond the speeds of sound, including and exceeding twice the speed of sound.	1951 to 1958	Speeds to mach 2.44 achieved and flight behaviour examined and coupling encountered.	Yes
X-1E	Bell Aircraft	Investigated performance of improvements to the thin wing.	1955 to 1958	Achieved supersonic flight with a 4% thickness/chord wing.	Yes
X-2	Bell Aircraft	Investigated flight with swept wing as well as aerodynamic heating.	1952 to 1956	Research into high aerodynamic fiction above mach 2.5, as well as pioneering the use of steel alloys.	Yes
X-3 'Stilleto'	Douglas Aircraft	Investigated high speed flight at sustained Mach 2.	1954 to 1956	Poor performance due to low engine power.	Yes
X-4 'Bantam'	Northrop Aircraft	Investigated Semi-tailless aircraft at transonic speeds.	1950 to 1953	Research showed conventional, semi-tailless, swept wing aircraft not suited for transonic flight.	Yes
X-5	Bell Aircraft	Investigated variable swept-wing geometry between 20 degrees amd 60 degrees.	1952 to 1955	Design based upon the Messerschmitt P.1101 &endash; which lead to the F-111 (General Dynamics) and F-14 (Grumman).	Yes
X-6	General Dynamics	Investigated nuclear propulsion.	1955 to 1957	Neither of the two X-6's completed before the project was cancelled. A b-36 was used as a shielded testbed.	Yes
X-7	Lockhead Missiles & Space	Used as a supersonic/hypersonic ramjet testbed.	1951 to 1956	Established database used for current ramjet/scramjet work. It was the first M-3 air-breathing testbed.	Yes
XQ-5	Lockhead Missiles & Space	Used as a supersonic/hypersonic ramjet testbed.	1951 to 1956	Established database used for current ramjet/scramjet work. It was the first M-3 air-breathing testbed.	Yes
X-8 'Aerobee'	Aerojet Engineering	Used as Inexpensive research vehicle/sounding rocket.	1947 to 1956	Originally a successor to the captured German V-2s which had been used to investigate high-altitude payloads.	Yes
X-9 'Shrike'	Bell Aircraft	Testbed version of Bell GAM-63 Rascal air-to-surface missile.	1949 to 1953	Demonstrated that air-to &endash;surface missiles could be launched and controlled from heavy bombers.	Yes
X-10	North American	Testbed for SM-64 Navajo cruise missile.	1955 to 1959	Investigated and proved aerodynamics of Navajo missile as well as becoming world's first Mach 2 capable target drone.	Yes
X-11 Atlas A	Consolidated &endash;Vultee (became Convair)	Testbed for XB-65 Atlas ICBM ballistic missile.	1957 to 1958	Tested hardware and its performance.	Yes
X-12 Atlas B	Consolidated &endash;Vultee (became Convair)	One and a half stage test vehicle for Atlas ICBM.	1958	First full Atlas configuration flown in November 1958 with a mission range of 6,325 miles.	Yes
X-13 Vertjet	Ryan Aeronautical	Investigating "tailsitter" VTOL configuration.	1955 to 1958	Confirmed jet-powered VTOL flight.	Yes
X-14	Bell Aircraft	Investigating vectored-thrust VTOL configuration.	1957 to 1981	Data received from this project used in the design of Hawker P.1127.	Yes
X-15	North America	Investigating hypersonic flight with speeds beyond mach 6 and heights of over 250,000 feet.	1959 to 1968	Obtained huge database of hypersonic flight together with unofficial speed record of Mach 6.7 More Information - Click Here	Yes
X-16	Bell Aircraft	Reconnaissance aircraft disguised as an X-plane for secrecy.	1952	Project cancelled &endash; experience, data and some hardware later used for Lockhead U-2 Spy-plane.	Yes
X-17	Lockhead	Multi-stage rocket used in the investigation of re-entry vehicles.	1955 to 1957	Project created database for re-entry vehicle design used within the Atlas and Titan ICBMs.	Yes
X-18	Hiller Aircraft	Investigating large tilt-wing V/STOL aircraft.	1959 to 1964	Used in the design of Vought XC-142 tilt wing aircraft.	Yes
X-19	Curtiss-Wright	Investigation tilt-prop VTOL design.	1963 to 1965	Confirmed dual-tandem tilt &endash;prop concept.	Yes
X-20 Dyna Soar	Boeing	Piloted vehicle for hypersonic/orbital research.	1963	Project cancelled &endash; experience and data of materials from this project contributed to database used for Space Shuttle development. More Information - Click Here	Yes
X-21	Northrop	Testbed for boundary layer investigations.	1963 to 1964	Modified Douglas WB-660s confirmed that laminar flow control effective.	Yes
X-22	Bell Aerospace Textron	Investigations into dual-tandem ducted propeller V/STOL aircraft.	1966 to 1986	Confirmed stability for pitch/roll/yaw and thrust control. (No2 flying at Calspan in 1980s).	Yes
X-23	Martin Marietta	Investigating configuration, control & materials for hypersonic lifting-body re-entry vehicle.	1966 to 1967	Confirmed manoeuvrable re-entry vehicle as well as new ablative materials later used on the Shuttle and the X-38.	Yes
X-24	Martin Marietta	Investigated lift:drag and controllability issues.	1969 to 1975	Confirmed lifting-body design for hypersonic/trans-atmosphere vehicles.	Yes
X-25	Benson Aircraft	Investigating unpowered/powered gryo-glinder used by crew abandoning aircraft.	1969 to 1975	Confirmed viability of "gyro-chute" escape concept for aircraft crew.	Yes
X-26	Lockhead/Schweizer	Powered sailplane modified for stealth intelligence gathering purposes.	1967 to 1968	YO-3A used in Vietnam designed from X-26B/QT-2 &endash; some details still classified.	Yes
X-27	Lockhead California	Lightweight fighter prototype based on CL-1200 Lancer.	1971	Project terminated &endash; intended as international F-104 replacement.	Yes
X-28	George Pereira/Osprey Aircraft	Investigating single seated seaplane for police patrols.	1971	Pereira 1, selected from six designs for US Navy's Air Skimmer Project.	Yes
X-29	Grumman Aerospace	Investigating thin, supercritical-section forward swept wing, close coupled canard, variable camber with relaxed stability.	1984 to 1992	Confirmed controlled flight at high angle-of-attack, vortex flow control and aeroelastic tailoring preventing divergence.	Yes
X-30	Never Selected	Single-stage-to-orbit demonstrator for the National AeroSpace Plane (NASP).	1994	Project cancelled &endash; succeeded by Hyper-X (X-43) of the hypersonic experimental vehicle programme.	Yes
X-31		Under Construction			Yes
X-32		Under Construction			Yes
X-33		Under Construction		More Information - Click Here	Yes
X-34		Under Construction		More Information - Click Here	Yes
X-35		Under Construction			Yes
X-36		Under Construction			Yes
X-37		Under Construction			Yes
X-38		Under Construction		More Information - Click Here	Yes
X-39		Under Construction			Yes
X-40		Under Construction			Yes
X-41		Under Construction			Yes
X-42		Under Construction			Yes
X-43		Under Construction			Yes
X-44		Under Construction			Yes