Northrop X-4 Bantam

Northrop X-4 Bantam

OrszágUsa
SzerepetTailless aircraft prototype
Első repülés15 December 1948
Beépített2

A Northrop X-4 Bantam was a prototype small twinjet aircraft manufactured by Northrop Corporation in 1948. It had no horizontal tail surfaces, depending instead on combined elevator and aileron control surfaces (called elevons) for control in pitch and roll attitudes, almost exactly in the manner of the similar-format, rocket-powered Messerschmitt Me 163 of Nazi Germany’s Luftwaffe. Some aerodynamicists had proposed that eliminating the horizontal tail would also do away with stability problems at fast speeds (called shock stall) resulting from the interaction of supersonic shock waves from the wings and the horizontal stabilizers. The idea had merit, but the flight control systems of that time prevented the X-4 from any success.

Forrás: Northrop X-4 Bantam on Wikipedia

Northrop X-4 Bantam Walk Aroundd
PhotographersJohn Heck, Randy Ray
LocalisationNational Museum of the USAF
Photos50
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The Northrop X-4 Bantam was an experimental aircraft designed and built by the Northrop Corporation in the late 1940s. It was one of the first attempts to create a tailless aircraft that could fly at high speeds and altitudes. The X-4 had a semi-circular wing with a swept leading edge and a straight trailing edge. It was powered by two Westinghouse J30 turbojet engines mounted in the fuselage. The X-4 had a single-seat cockpit with a bubble canopy that provided good visibility.
The main purpose of the X-4 was to test the stability and control of a tailless aircraft at transonic speeds, that is, near the speed of sound. The X-4 was expected to achieve a maximum speed of Mach 0.95 and a maximum altitude of 40,000 feet. However, the X-4 encountered several problems during its flight tests, which began in 1948 and ended in 1953. The most serious problem was the loss of longitudinal stability at high speeds, which caused the nose to pitch up or down uncontrollably. This phenomenon, known as inertia coupling, was later found to affect many other early jet fighters. The X-4 also suffered from engine failures, structural failures, and landing gear malfunctions.
The X-4 program was cancelled in 1953 after 82 flights and two prototypes. The X-4 did not achieve its design goals and did not contribute much to the development of tailless aircraft. However, it did provide valuable data on transonic aerodynamics and inertia coupling, which helped to improve the design of later supersonic aircraft. The X-4 also inspired other experimental tailless aircraft, such as the Convair XF-92 and the Northrop XB-35. The two X-4 prototypes are preserved at the National Museum of the United States Air Force and the Air Force Flight Test Museum.

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