Boeing X-50 Dragonfly

Boeing · United States · first flew 2003 · light aircraft

The Boeing X-50 Dragonfly was an unmanned experimental aircraft designed to demonstrate the Canard Rotor/Wing concept, in which a powered rotor provides helicopter-like vertical lift at low speeds and then stops and locks to function as a fixed wing in high-speed cruise. Both prototype aircraft crashed during testing.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × turboshaft, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	5.38 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Canard rotor/wing UAV concept — rotor stops and becomes fixed wing in cruise
Disc-shaped rotor that doubles as a wing
DARPA/Boeing experimental UAV programme

Unique configuration with a large-diameter four-blade rotor mounted above the fuselage on a pylon; the canard foreplane and pusher propeller arrangement distinguish it from all other aircraft.

Specifications

The Boeing X-50 Dragonfly has a length of 5.38 m (18 ft).
It has a wingspan of 1.7 m (6 ft).
Its maximum speed is 700 km/h (435 mph).
Typical crew: 0.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Developed under DARPA funding, the X-50 first flew in 2003. The concept promised the versatility of a helicopter with fixed-wing cruise efficiency. The first prototype was lost in 2004 and the second in 2006, both during transitions between rotor and wing flight modes. The programme was subsequently cancelled without achieving full flight envelope demonstration.

Variants

Two prototypes were built; no further variants were developed after the crashes.

Where you'll see it

Flown only as a DARPA research demonstrator; never entered operational service.

Related aircraft

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