Douglas X-3 Stiletto | |
|---|---|
| 国家 | 美国 |
| 作用 | 实验的 |
| 首次飞行 | 1952年10月15日 |
| 建立 | 1 |
这 道格拉斯 X-3 斯蒂尔托 是一架20世纪50年代的美国实验喷气式飞机，机身纤细，鼻子锥长，由道格拉斯飞机公司制造。其主要任务是调查适合持续超音速的飞机的设计特点，其中包括首次在主要机身部件中使用钛。道格拉斯设计的X-3的目标是最高时速约2000米，但是，它为此严重不足，甚至不能超过马赫1级飞行。虽然研究飞机令人失望，但洛克希德公司的设计师们使用了洛克希德F-104星际战斗机X-3测试的数据，该战斗机在一架成功的马赫2战斗机中使用了类似的梯形机翼设计。
| Douglas X-3 Stiletto Walk Around | |
|---|---|
| Photographers | Randy Ray, John Heck |
| Localisation | National Museum of the USAF |
| Photos | 64 |
| Douglas X-3 Walk Around | |
|---|---|
| 摄影师 | 加菲猫英格拉姆 |
| 本地化 | 未知 |
| 照片 | 35 |
另请参阅：
| Douglas X-3 Stiletto Walk Around | |
|---|---|
| Photographer | Meindert de Vreeze |
| Localisation | National Museum of the USAF |
| Photos | 44 |
The Shape of Things to Come
这 道格拉斯 X-3 斯蒂尔托 was perhaps the most visually striking experimental aircraft of the 1950s. Designed to test the effects of sustained supersonic flight, it featured a slender fuselage, a long, tapered nose, and tiny, trapezoidal wings. While the X-3 failed to reach its intended design speeds due to being severely underpowered, it became an invaluable research tool for structural engineering, pioneering the use of titanium in aircraft construction and providing the data that made the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter possible.
| Attribute | Technical Specification (Douglas X-3) |
|---|---|
| 作用 | Experimental High-Speed Research Aircraft |
| 船员 | 1 (Pilot) |
| First Flight | October 15, 1952 |
| 动力装置 | 2 × Westinghouse J34-WE-17 afterburning turbojets |
| Thrust | 3,370 lbf (15.0 kN) each / 4,850 lbf with afterburner |
| 最高速度 | Mach 1.21 (Reached) / Mach 2.0 (Design Goal) |
| 翼展 | 22 ft 8 in (6.91 m) |
| 长度 | 66 ft 9 in (20.35 m) |
Design Innovations and Challenges
- High Fineness Ratio: The X-3 had an incredibly high “fineness ratio” (length vs. width), designed to pierce the “sound barrier” with minimal drag. Its nose was so long that the pilot sat far back from the tip, necessitating a specialized downward-ejection seat.
- The First Titanium Jet: The X-3 was the first aircraft to make extensive use of titanium in its major airframe components. This was necessary to handle the “thermal thicket”—the intense heat generated by air friction at speeds above Mach 2.
- Underpowered Reality: The original plan called for Westinghouse J46 engines, which failed to materialize. The substitute J34 engines were so weak that the X-3 could barely exceed Mach 1 in a level flight, usually requiring a dive to reach supersonic speeds.
- Trapezoidal Wings: The wings were tiny, thin, and straight (non-swept). This design offered low drag at supersonic speeds but made takeoffs and landings extremely dangerous, with a landing speed of roughly 200 mph (322 km/h).
Inertial Coupling and Legacy
- Inertial Coupling Discovery: During a test flight in 1954, pilot Joseph Walker experienced “inertial coupling”—a violent, uncontrollable roll/yaw maneuver caused by the mass distribution of the long fuselage. This data was critical in redesigning the tail surfaces of the F-100 Super Sabre.
- The “Starfighter” Connection: The thin, stubby wing data from the X-3 was directly applied by Kelly Johnson at Lockheed to create the F-104星际战斗机, often called the “Missile with a Man in It.”
- Tire Technology: Because of its exceptionally high takeoff and landing speeds, the X-3 forced engineers to develop entirely new high-pressure tire compounds and heat-resistant wheel assemblies.
- Preservation: The sole surviving X-3 Stiletto is currently on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.
视图： 3244
