List of test aircraft

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of experimental aircraft , most of which were classified as experimental when they were designed. This list includes machines that did not go into series production or that represent significant modifications of series machines.

American test aircraft

X planes

The X-Series is a series of aircraft and missiles that have been and are used to test new technologies. The machines were partly manned and partly unmanned. Some of these developments have been kept strictly confidential.

The first X-plane, the Bell X-1, was specially designed to break the sound barrier, which was first achieved in 1947. The North American X-15 has also become famous.

The Boeing X-32 and the Lockheed Martin X-35 were test developments for the Joint Strike Fighter and differ in this from the other X-aircraft, which were never planned for series production.

The X planes sorted numerically:

Bell X-1 Northrop X-21 X-41
Bell X-2 Bell X-22 X-42
Douglas X-3 Martin-Marietta X-23 Boeing X-43
Northrop X-4 Martin-Marietta X-24 Lockheed Martin X-44
Bell X-5 Bensen X-25 Boeing X-45
Convair X-6 Swiss X-26 Boeing X-46
Lockheed X-7 Lockheed X-27 Northrop Grumman X-47
Aerojet General X-8 Pereira X-28 Boeing X-48
Bell X-9 Grumman X-29 Sikorsky Piasecki X-49
North American X-10 Rockwell X-30 Boeing X-50
Convair X-11 Rockwell MBB X-31 Boeing X-51
Convair X-12 Boeing X-32 subject to change: X-52
Ryan X-13 Lockheed Martin X-33 Boeing X-53
Bell X-14 Orbital Sciences X-34 Gulfstream X-54
North American X-15 Lockheed Martin X-35 Lockheed Martin X-55
Bell X-16 McDonnell Douglas X-36 Lockheed Martin X-56
Lockheed X-17 Boeing X-37 NASA X-57
Hiller X-18 Scaled Composites X-38 (Number not busy, apparently assigned to Kratos XQ-58A )
Curtiss-Wright X-19 (Reserved for USAF / DARPA program) X-39 Lockheed Martin X-59
Boeing X-20 Boeing X-40

Test planes that were planned as bombers

Test aircraft are listed below that were actually planned as bombers, but were not further developed for their intended task beyond the prototype stage (X designation). These aircraft were used for feasibility studies, engine tests or for general studies in the field of aviation technology.

More test aircraft

The year information stands for the first flight or the first presentation of the individual models.

Northrop M2-F2 (1966)
Douglas D-558-I Skystreak (1945) Northrop M2-F3 (1970)
Convair XF-92 (1948) Bell XV-15 (1977)
Douglas D-588-II Skyrocket (1948) Lockheed Have Blue (1977)
Bell XV-3 (1955) Northrop Tacit Blue (1982)
Goodyear Inflatoplane (1956) Boeing McDonnell Douglas Bird of Prey (1992)
Fairchild VZ-5 (1959)
NASA M2-F1 (1963) Scaled Composites Boomerang (1996)
North American XB-70 (1964) Scaled Composites Proteus (1998)
Northrop HL-10 (1966)

German test aircraft

In addition to some developments during the Third Reich, the Do 31 and the VJ-101C are particularly noteworthy. The Do 31 was the first and only vertical takeoff transport aircraft, the VJ-101C was the first vertical takeoff supersonic jet.

Heinkel He 178 (1939)
DFS 228 (1944)
Hoarding H IX (1945)
DFS 346 (1948)
FWD 152 (1958)
EWR VJ 101 (1963)
Dornier Do 31 (1967)
VFW-Fokker VAK 191 B (1971)
Rockwell MBB X-31 (1990)

French test aircraft

Aérospatiale Ludion (1967)
North 1601 (1950)
Leduc 0.10 (1947)
Leduc 0.21 (1953)
Leduc 0.22 (1956)
North 1500 (1955)

Soviet test aircraft

MiG-105 "Spiral"
Antonov An-181 (1991)
Mikoyan-Gurevich I-230 (1943)
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-8 (1945)
Florow 4302 (1946)
Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270 (1946)
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-105 (1965)
Bereznjak 346 (1949)
Tupolev Tu-80/85 (1949)
Tupolev Tu-98 (1956)
Tupolev Tu-116 (1957) (for Tu-114)
Beriev R-1 (1952)
Mikoyan-Gurevich Je-8 (1962)
Jakowlew Jak-36 (1963)
Mikoyan-Gurevich Je-266 (1965)
Mil W-7 (1962)
Mil Mi-PSW (2015)
Ekranoplan (1971)
Sukhoi T-4 (1972)

British test aircraft

W4041 Prototype of the Gloster E.28 / 39
Gloster E. 28/39 (1941)
Avro 707 (1947)
Hawker P.1052 (1948)
Hawker P.1072 (1950)
Hawker P. 1081 (1950)
Hunting H.126 (1963)
Short SB.5 (1963)
Bristol Type 173 (1952)
Bristol Type 188 (1962)
Boulton Paul P. 111 (1950)
Boulton Paul P. 120 (1952)
Fairey Delta 2 (1956)

Hungarian test aircraft

The Lloyd LS-1 set four high altitude records in 1915.

Lloyd LS-x (1915)

Swiss test aircraft

FFA P-16
Altenrhein P-16
Eidgenössische Flugzeugwerke Emmen N-20
Pilatus SB-2 (1944)
Pilatus P-4 (1948)
Pilatus PC-8D (1967)

More from various countries

See also

Web links

Commons : Experimental Airplane  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files