Category Archives: “X” and “Y” Planes
National Museum of the United State Air Force Behind the Scenes Tour
Photos from my latest visit to the Behind the Scenes Tour at the National Museum of the United State Air Force. Work is progressing on the B-17 Memphis Belle, and the B-17 Swoose.
Crazy Soviet Superplane- Lun Ekranoplan
Sometimes I think the former Soviet Union would fund any crazy idea their scientists could conceive of. The latest example is the Lun Ekranoplan, an aircraft so large and bizarre that the US officials created a special drone just to … Continue reading
A-12, Area 51 photos released
National Geographic has published recently declassified photos of the A-12 (the predecessor of the SR-71) undergoing radar signature testing at Area 51 and photos of a crash that occurred during a test flight. Full Article with more photos at National Geographic
Pentagon to double UAV force
The Department of Defense has released its long term procurement plan, which reveals that UAV force is expected to double by 2021. The Army’s got a Reaper-esque drone called Gray Eagle. The Marines want a similar UAV as part of … Continue reading
Lockheed YF-12
In the late 1950s the United States Air Force (USAF) sought a replacement for the F-106 Delta Dart. As part of the Long Range Interceptor Experimental (LRI,X) program, North American Aviation’s F-108 proposal, a Mach 3-capable interceptor was selected. However, … Continue reading
Phantom Eye- long endurance flight capable drone
This is Boeing’s “Phantom Eye,” a hydrogen-powered, unmanned spy plane that flies 65,000 feet above the ground and can fly for four days straight. Boeing hails it as the “first of its kind” — its looks alone set it apart … Continue reading
Convair XFY “Pogo”
Pogo in storage at the Garber Restoration circa 1990′s The Convair XFY Pogo tailsitter was an experiment in vertical takeoff and landing. The Pogo had delta wings and three-bladed contra-rotating propellers powered by a 5,500 hp Allison YT40-A-16 turboprop engine. … Continue reading
X-51 Waverider goes hypersonic
The scramjet engine in the experimental aircraft burned for a little over three minutes at around 10 a.m. PDT Wednesday in a test range over the Pacific Ocean, pushing the X-51A to the hypersonic speed of Mach 5, or five … Continue reading
North American F-107A Ultra Sabre
The North American F-107 was North American Aviation’s (NAA) entry in a United States Air Force tactical fighter-bomber design competition of the 1950s. The F-107 incorporated many innovations and radical design features, and was based on the F-100 Super … Continue reading
X-37B Heads to Space
A top secret space plane developed by the US military has blasted off from Cape Canaveral on its maiden voyage. Billed as a small shuttle, the unmanned X-37B heralds the next generation of space exploration. It will be the first … Continue reading