McDonnell Douglas X-36

X-36
X-36 in flight
Role	Research aircraft
Manufacturer	McDonnell Douglas/Boeing
First flight	17 May 1997
Status	Retired
Number built	2

The McDonnell Douglas (later Boeing) X-36 Tailless Fighter Agility Research Aircraft was an American subscale prototype jet designed to fly without the traditional tail assembly found on most aircraft.

The X-36 was built to 28% scale of a possible fighter aircraft, and was controlled by a pilot in a ground-based virtual cockpit with a view provided by a video camera mounted in the canopy of the aircraft.

For control, a canard forward of the wing was used as well as split ailerons and an advanced thrust vectoring nozzle for directional control. The X-36 was unstable in both pitch and yaw axes, so an advanced digital fly-by-wire control system was used to provide stability.

First flown on 17 May 1997, it made 31 successful research flights. It handled very well, and the program is reported to have met or exceeded all project goals. McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing in August 1997 while the test program was in progress; the aircraft is sometimes referred to as the Boeing X-36.

The X-36 possessed high maneuverability that would be ideal for use as a fighter. Despite its potential suitability, and highly successful test program, there have been no reports regarding further development of the X-36 or any derived design as of 2017.

Data from Designation Systems American X-Vehicles

General characteristics

Performance

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