Image of the Air Force wings with the museum name underneath

Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week
FREE Admission & Parking

NASA/Boeing X-36

In the mid-1990s, NASA and the Boeing (then McDonnell Douglas) “Phantom Works” built two unmanned X-36 Tailless Fighter Agility Research Aircraft to develop technology for a maneuverable, tailless fighter. The X-36s were about a quarter of the size of a potential future fighter.

Though two were built, only the museum’s X-36 actually flew. The first X-36 flight occurred in May 1997, and the flight test program met or exceeded all of the project’s goals -- a remarkable achievement.

The next year, the USAF’s Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) used the museum’s X-36 to test its RESTORE (Reconfigurable Control for Tailless Fighter Aircraft) software. AFRL developed this software to save a tailless fighter in case its control system was damaged or malfunctioned. In December 1998, the X-36 made two successful RESTORE flights.

The X-36 on display came to the museum in April 2003. The X-36 "cockpit" and forward fuselage areas were autographed by personnel associated with the program before Boeing donated the aircraft to the museum.

TECHNICAL NOTES:
Engine:
Williams International F112 turbojet engine of about 700 lbs. thrust
Maximum speed: 234 mph
Highest flight: 20,200 feet
Gross weight: 1,245 lbs.

Click here to return to the Research & Development Gallery.

Find Out More
Line
Related Fact Sheets
Williams International F112-WR-100 Turbofan Engine
Line