McDonnell Douglas X-36
McDonnell Douglas · United States · first flew 1997 · reconnaissance aircraft
The McDonnell Douglas X-36 was a subscale remotely piloted research aircraft developed to investigate tailless fighter agility concepts, using thrust vectoring and split ailerons in lieu of conventional tail surfaces.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, delta |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 5.55 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | No tailplane |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Tailless subscale agility research drone
- Canard-delta layout without vertical tail surfaces
- 28%-scale demonstrator for agile fighter technologies
A small remotely piloted delta-canard configuration with no vertical tail; the combination of forward canards and split aileron surfaces for yaw control is unique.
Specifications
- The McDonnell Douglas X-36 has a length of 5.55 m (18 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 3.15 m (10 ft).
- Typical crew: 0 (unmanned).
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Developed by McDonnell Douglas and NASA, the X-36 first flew in 1997 and completed 31 research flights. The programme explored how a tailless aircraft could maintain controllability using advanced flight control systems, informing future stealthy fighter designs.
Variants
Two X-36 demonstrators were built; no production derivative resulted directly from the programme.
Where you'll see it
A pure research aircraft operated jointly by McDonnell Douglas/Boeing and NASA Dryden; never operational.
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