The 28-percent scale, remotely piloted X-36 has no vertical or
horizontal tails, yet it is expected to be more maneuverable and agile
than today's fighters. In addition, the tailless design reduces the
weight, drag and radar cross section typically associated with
traditional fighter aircraft.
In a series of upcoming flight tests, the
low-cost X-36 research vehicle will demonstrate the feasibility of
using new flight control technologies in place of vertical and
horizontal tails to improve the maneuverability and survivability of
future fighter aircraft.
Fully fueled, the X-36 prototype weighs
1,300 pounds. It is 19 feet long and measures 11 feet at its widest
point. It is 3 feet high and is powered by a Williams Research F112
engine that provides about 700 pounds of thrust.
Using a video camera in the nose of the
vehicle, a pilot controls the flight of the X-36 from a virtual
cockpit--complete with head-up display (HUD)--in a ground-based
station. This pilot-in-the-loop approach eliminates the need for
expensive and complex autonomous flight control systems.
Two identical subscale research vehicles
have been produced by the team for use in the flight test program.
Including design and production of the two aircraft and flight testing,
the total cost of the X-36 program is only $17 million. |
