North American X-10
North American Aviation · United States · first flew 1953 · reconnaissance aircraft
The X-10 was an unmanned, reusable delta-winged testbed built to prove the aerodynamics, guidance and autopilot of the planned SM-64 Navaho intercontinental missile.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, delta |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Slender missile-like fuselage with a sharply pointed nose |
| T — Tail | Twin fin |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Slender missile-like fuselage with a sharply pointed nose
- Delta wing paired with small nose canards ahead of the cockpit area
- Twin outward-canted vertical fins at the tail, no separate horizontal stabiliser
The missile-like fuselage, tiny delta wing, forward canards and twin outward-raked tail fins with no horizontal tailplane distinguish it from any contemporary piloted jet.
Specifications
- The North American X-10 has a length of 20.17 m (66 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 8.59 m (28 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 2092 km/h (1300 mph).
- Typical crew: none (autonomous/remote-controlled).
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
First flown on 14 October 1953 at Edwards Air Force Base, it used a delta wing with all-moving nose canards and twin canted fins to explore supersonic flight long before Navaho itself was ready, then landed and taxied to a stop on a conventional undercarriage for reuse.
Variants
Several X-10 airframes were built and flown repeatedly, some later expended in supersonic test drops, making it one of the first reusable robotic flight-test vehicles.
Where you'll see it
It never entered service in any conventional sense; its legacy is technical, feeding directly into the aerodynamic and guidance work behind the Navaho programme before that missile was itself cancelled.
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