Boeing X-36 | |
|---|---|
| 国家 | 美国 |
| 作用 | 研究飞机 |
| 首次飞行 | 17 五月 1997 |
| 建立 | 2 |
麦克唐纳道格拉斯（后来的波音公司） X-36 无尾战斗机敏捷研究飞机是一种美国隐形亚尺度原型喷气式飞机，设计用于在没有大多数飞机上发现的传统尾部组件的情况下飞行。这种配置旨在减轻重量，阻力和雷达横截面，但增加范围，机动性和生存能力。
| Boeing X-36 Walk Around | |
|---|---|
| Photographers | Vladimir Yakubov, John Heck |
| Localisation | National Museum of the USAF, Dayton |
| Photos | 42 |
另请参阅：
General Characteristics and Role
The Boeing X-36 Tailless Fighter Agility Research Aircraft was an experimental subscale jet developed by McDonnell Douglas (later Boeing) for NASA and the US Air Force in the mid-1990s. Its primary role was to test the feasibility of a fighter aircraft design that lacked the traditional vertical and horizontal tail surfaces. The X-36 was intended to explore how a tailless configuration could enhance stealth (by reducing radar cross-section) and improve maneuverability, particularly at high angles of attack, compared to conventional fighter jets. It was flown remotely by a pilot in a ground station due to its small size and lack of a cockpit.
| Property | Typical Value (X-36) |
|---|---|
| 作用 | Experimental Aircraft (Agility and Stealth Research) |
| National Origin | 美国 |
| 制造商 | McDonnell Douglas / Boeing |
| First Flight | 17 May 1996 |
| Pilot/Control | Unmanned, remotely controlled from a ground cockpit. |
| 长度 | 5.77 m (18 ft 11 in) |
| 翼展 | 3.17 m (10 ft 5 in) |
| 高度 | 0.95 m (3 ft 1 in) |
| Max Takeoff Weight | 567 kg (1,250 lb) |
Powerplant and Flight Controls
- Engine: 1 x Williams International F112 turbofan engine.
- Thrust: Approx. 3.1 kN (700 lbf).
- Top Speed: Estimated at 370 km/h (230 mph).
- Flight Control System: Required a highly advanced Digital Fly-By-Wire (DFBW) system to maintain stability, as the aircraft was inherently unstable without tail surfaces.
- Control Surfaces: Yaw and pitch control were achieved using canards (foreplanes) and a combination of split ailerons (flaperons) and a thrust-vectoring nozzle on the engine.
Program Outcome and Legacy
- Test Program: The X-36 completed a highly successful test program, demonstrating excellent maneuverability with its tailless design. It achieved a total of 31 flights, logging 15 hours of air time.
- Success Metric: The program demonstrated that a tailless fighter design could achieve up to a 40% increase in cruising lift and a significant improvement in agility over conventional designs.
- Influence: Although the X-36 never led directly to a production aircraft, its successful demonstration of control and stability heavily influenced subsequent low-observable (stealth) aircraft design and DFBW control systems, including possible future unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs).
- Preservation: Both X-36 prototypes are now preserved: one is at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Ohio, and the other is at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (now Armstrong) in California.
视图 ： 1495
