Weird Wings - Lifting Bodies - Martin X-24B Marietta

After 28 flights, the X-24A was extensively remodelled to the dart-shaped X-24B, which first flew in August 1973, making 10 glide and 26 powered flights before the program ended in 1975, having validated the lifting-body concept.

The X-24B was the last aircraft in a series of rocket-powered NACA-NASA research vehicles. It flew from February 1, 1972 until November 26, 1975.

The M2's, HL-10 and X-24A had hypersonic lift-to-drag ratios of about 1.4 to 1.2. They made quick and steep approaches, but accurate landings had been demonstrated with all of them, so a lift-to-drag ratio of 2.5 was the next goal. This increase in lift-to-drag ratios could provide considerably more range and maneuvering capability, and seemed a likely target for the performance of the future Space Shuttle. The X-24B represented an aerodynamic configuration of a hypersonic reentry vehicle with a lift-to-drag ratio of 2.5.

The goal of the X-24B program was to study this design at supersonic and subsonic flight regimes, with particular attention to a goal of accurate, unpowered landings.

NASA X-24B Images The six X-24B images and movies below are from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California Open the X-24 gallery on NASA website

NASA X-24B Movies (requires Quicktime - download) NASA Dryden Flight Research Center website: X-24B launch - air drop from mothership X-24B in flight and landing X-24B Fin Airflow test X-24B landing on runway 04 at Edwards Air Force Base