Douglas X-3 Stiletto
Douglas · United States · first flew 1952 · fighter
The Douglas X-3 Stiletto was a 1950s American experimental jet with a slender fuselage and a long tapered nose. It was built to investigate designs suited to sustained supersonic flight.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Very slender fuselage with a long gently tapered nose |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Very slender fuselage with a long gently tapered nose
- Small low-aspect-ratio unswept trapezoidal wings
- Semi-buried cockpit and windscreen
An extremely slender needle-nosed jet with tiny straight trapezoidal wings and a semi-buried cockpit.
Specifications
- The Douglas X-3 Stiletto has a length of 20.35 m (67 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 6.91 m (23 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 1136 km/h (706 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Construction of two was approved on 30 June 1949, and the planned Westinghouse J46 engines proved too large, so lower-thrust J34 turbojets were fitted. The first flight hop was on 15 October 1952, and the official first flight on 20 October.
Variants
Two were ordered but only one was built, and it made 51 test flights. The partly built second aircraft was cancelled and its parts used as spares.
Where you'll see it
The X-3 was underpowered, difficult to control and never approached its planned speed. Its fastest flight reached Mach 1.208 in a dive, and the data helped Lockheed design the F-104 Starfighter wing.
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