Boeing X-36

Book excerpt: The X-36 program began in 1989, with the development of technologies required for an agile, tailless fighter. In order to validate these technologies the then McDonnell Douglas Phantom works was contracted to built two 28% scale remotely piloted aircraft for flight testing. These aircraft incorporated many modern aeronautical technologies such as tailless design, thrust-vectoring control, stealth shaping and an advanced digital fly-by-wire flight control system. The first of the X-36 aircraft flew for the first time in May 1997 and conducted several phases of flight testing before the original program ended in November that year. In December 1998, the X-36 flew again under the Reconfigurable Control for Tailless Fighter Aircraft (RESTORE), which was aimed at testing advanced software applications designed to compensate for problems with the control surfaces.' Only one of the X-36 vehicles ever flew and this aircraft was retired to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in 2003. This volume covers the inception, design, development and flight testing of the X-36, as well as covering previous tailless or quasi-tailless aircraft designs.