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Martin X-24B

1973 COLD WAR X-PLANE

History of the Martin X-24B

Martin Marietta X-24B is part of NASA's focused project to collect data on "lifting body" aircraft. The lift body takes advantage of the properties of a "flying wing" (mainly balanced lift versus drag masses) in which there is no real tail, and the fuselage and wing elements blend elegantly together into a single shape.

The concept arose as early as World War I (1914-1918) and saw significant research progress in the 1960s and 1970s. Both the X-24B and its related X-24A were products of this period, the former first flying on August 1, 1973.

She operated under the NASA and United States Air Force (USAF) flags until November 26, 1975.

This aircraft is actually a heavily modified version of the previous X-24A (mainly due to the expected higher performance of the second round of testing), both vehicles were developed by Martin Marietta, now Lockheed Martin .

Lifting body aircraft rely on their special natural lift shape to reach great heights and glide back to Earth, eventually landing on tricycles like conventional aircraft. The aircraft can perform precision landings on its three legs without mechanical power, and these studies are critical to the development of re-entry spacecraft, such as the upcoming family of space shuttles, which will replace manned rockets in later stages Cold War period (1947-1991).

In the X-24B, the aircraft has a very unique shape (similar to the starfighters of the 1950s): its nose is arrow-shaped, pointed and long, and the single-seat cockpit is near the midship. The wing main aircraft is an embedded element of the fuselage that gives the aircraft its overall smooth delta plan shape. The rear wing was also incorporated into the design, consisting of three vertical planes - a center plane and two flared planes to aid control.

Below the nose are two-wheeled retractable legs, while a pair of single-wheeled legs form the main element. A distinctive feature of the X-24B is that all physical obstacles are placed above the imaginary horizon of the fuselage, with the entire rear area completely flat - this is done to increase the surface area to increase range and improve self-buoyancy and general resistance when taxiing without motors. control of the vehicle.

Internally, the X-24B is equipped with a reaction engine XLR-11 series rocket booster that produces 9,800 pounds of thrust, and an optional pair of Bell LLRV 500-pound thrust rockets for landing. With this arrangement, the relatively compact aircraft can fly at 1,165 miles per hour (about Mach 1.75) and reach an altitude of just over 74,000 feet.

The pilot is positioned directly in the center of the aircraft, under a light-framed bubble canopy, with limited rearward visibility due to the bulge of the fuselage spine. Since the X-24X was a research vehicle for data collection, not a fighter jet, this was an acceptable design quality for many of these aircraft types at the time.

To speed up the test portion of the X-24B, the craft simply flew under the wings of a NASA-controlled Boeing B-52 Stratofortress long-range strategic bomber and was released at high altitude (usually around 45,000 feet). This saves the aircraft from having to expend its own power/energy to climb from a runaway altitude, and also nicely shortens the test stroke for each flight. Once in the air, the X-24B can fire up its own rocket motors to reach higher altitudes (up to 70,000 feet in some cases) and descend without power, much like the space shuttle itself.

The futuristic test vehicle flew a total of 36 flights in this way, 24 of which were powered (glide landings) and the rest were powered like a glider from start to finish.

The X-24B's flight day ended in 1975 with the finalization of data collection. Since then, the space shuttle has operated the same way during its reentry/landing phase - largely influenced by factors such as the demonstration-oriented X-24B.