Toward Future Flight
On March 19, 1996, NASA and industry partner McDonnell Douglas
Corporation (MDC) unveiled to the public a new subsonic flight
vehicle designated X-36. A remotely-piloted tailless research
craft, the X-36 is designed to demonstrate the feasibility of
future tailless military fighters that can achieve agility levels
superior to those of today's aircraft.
In the absence of a tail, control of the X-36 is accomplished
by a combination of thrust vectoring (maneuvering by directing
the engine's exhaust flow) and innovative aerodynamic control
features. Tailless fighter configurations offer reduced weight,
increased range and improvement in survivability; the X-36 program
is intended to establish confidence to incorporate these technologies
in future piloted vehicles.
Designed jointly by NASA and McDonnell Douglas Corporation,
the X-36 is a subscale, remotely-piloted tailless vehicle for
demonstrating technologies that could lead to lighter, longer-ranging,
more survivable, more agile military fighter aircraft.
The unmanned X-36 is "flown" by a pilot located
in a van at the flight test facility; a camera in the X-36 cockpit
relays instrument readings and displays to a console in the van.
With a wing span of only 10.4 feet and a gross weight under 1,300
pounds, the X-36 is powered by a single turbofan originally designed
as a cruise missile power plant.
The subscale vehicle was selected for affordability, in line
with NASA's "better, cheaper, faster" approach to new
aerospace developments. At 28 percent scale, it enables demonstration
of all key control integration technologies at a fraction of
the cost of a full-scale piloted aircraft.
The initial X-36 was developed and built in only 28 months;
a second model was under construction at midyear 1996. The program
resulted from a 1994 cost-sharing NASA/MDC agreement under which
Ames Research Center is responsible for continued development
of critical technologies and MDC is responsible for fabrication
of the two X-planes.
At Spinoff publication time, the X-36 was being readied
for a midsummer start of the flight test program at Dryden Flight
Test Center. The combined cost for development, fabrication and
flight testing is approximately $17 million.
The X-36 project exemplifies one aspect of a broad NASA aeronautical
research and technology program that seeks to improve the performance,
efficiency and environmental characteristics of all types of
planes, and additionally addresses such infrastructure factors
as air traffic control, navigation and communications.
Basic research of a general nature aims at advancing aerodynamics,
propulsion, materials and structures, aviation electronics, and
knowledge of the human factors in flight operations. Another
part of the program embraces technology development for specific
types of flight vehicles, such as high performance military aircraft
or the tiltrotor type of transport on the near horizon. A third
part of the program seeks solution of current and predictable
aviation problems, such as reducing airplane and helicopter noise
levels, finding ways to alleviate air traffic congestion, and
a variety of safety-related investigations.
Among priority objectives are development of payoff technologies
for a new generation of economic, environmentally acceptable
U.S. subsonic aircraft and a safe, highly productive air transportation
system; building a technology base for an economically viable
second generation supersonic passenger transport; developing
and demonstrating technologies for airbreathing hypersonic flight;
and maintaining/operating critical facilities for aero-nautical
research in support of industry and technology-generating government
agencies.
NASA pursues these objectives through in-house research and
cooperative endeavors with academia, industry and other government
agencies. NASA's principal aeronautical research facilities are
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California; Langley Research
Center, Hampton, Virginia; Lewis Research Center, Cleveland,
Ohio; and Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California.
Examples of their activities are described on the following pages.
|
