Ryan X-13 Vertijet
Ryan Aeronautical · United States · first flew 1955 · fighter
The Ryan X-13 Vertijet is an experimental tail-sitting vertical take-off and landing jet aircraft built by Ryan Aeronautical and flown in the United States in the 1950s.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, delta |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 7.14 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | No tailplane |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Tail-sitting jet with a high-mounted delta wing
- Flat endplates on the wingtips with roll-control puffer jets outboard of them
- Hook on the nose underside for engaging the vertical trailer
A single Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet powers it, with pitch and yaw in the hover controlled by vectored engine thrust.
Specifications
- The Ryan X-13 Vertijet has a length of 7.14 m (23 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 6.4 m (21 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 560 km/h (348 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
The aim was to show that a pure jet could take off vertically, hover, transition to horizontal flight and land vertically. The first prototype made its first horizontal flight on 10 December 1955, and the full-cycle flight from a trailer was made on 11 April 1957.
Variants
Two prototypes were built, serials 54-1619 and 54-1620.
Where you'll see it
On 28 and 29 July 1957 the X-13 was demonstrated in Washington, D.C., landing at the Pentagon. The Air Force chose not to continue because of the lack of an operational requirement.
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- Dassault MD 550 Mystère-Delta
- Dassault Super Mystère
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