The McDonnell Douglas (later Boeing) X-36 ''Tailless Fighter Agility Research Aircraft'' is an American stealthy subscale

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...

jet designed to fly without the traditional

empennage The empennage ( or ), also known as the tail or tail assembly, is a structure at the rear of an aircraft that provides stability during flight, in a way similar to the feathers on an arrow.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third ed ...

found on most aircraft. This configuration was designed to reduce weight, drag and

radar cross section Radar cross-section (RCS), denoted σ, also called radar signature, is a measure of how detectable an object is by radar. A larger RCS indicates that an object is more easily detected. An object reflects a limited amount of radar energy b ...

, and increase range, maneuverability and survivability.

Design and development

The X-36 was built to 28% scale of a possible fighter aircraft and was controlled by a

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

in a ground-based virtual

cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, on the front part of an aircraft, spacecraft, or submersible, from which a pilot controls the vehicle. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the controls th ...

with a view provided by a

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mounted in the

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of the aircraft. For control, a canard forward of the wing was used as well as split ailerons and an advanced

thrust vectoring Thrust vectoring, also known as thrust vector control (TVC), is the ability of an aircraft, rocket or other vehicle to manipulate the direction of the thrust from its engine(s) or motor(s) to Aircraft flight control system, control the Spacecra ...

nozzle A nozzle is a device designed to control the direction or characteristics of a fluid flow (specially to increase velocity) as it exits (or enters) an enclosed chamber or pipe (material), pipe. A nozzle is often a pipe or tube of varying cross ...

for directional control. The X-36 was unstable in both pitch and yaw axes, so an advanced digital

fly-by-wire Fly-by-wire (FBW) is a system that replaces the conventional aircraft flight control system#Hydro-mechanical, manual flight controls of an aircraft with an electronic interface. The movements of flight controls are converted to electronic sig ...

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 The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...

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 2025.

Preservation

*The first X-36 is at the

National Museum of the United States Air Force The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is ...

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene County, Ohio, Greene and Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patte ...

near

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. It arrived on July 16, 2003, the same day as the

Boeing Bird of Prey The Boeing Bird of Prey is an American black project aircraft, intended to demonstrate stealth technology. It was developed by McDonnell Douglas and Boeing in the 1990s.

"Boeing Bird of Prey and X-36 Inducted into Air Force Museum"
Boeing, July 16, 2003. and is displayed in the Museum's Research & Development Gallery. *The second X-36 is displayed outside the Air Force Test Flight Center Museum at

Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, California, Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County, California, San Bernardino County and a souther ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. X-36 at the National Museum of the USAF left front view.jpg, X-36 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force X-36 head-on view at the National Museum of the USAF.jpg, File:X-36 at the National Museum of the USAF right front view.jpg,

Specifications (X-36)

Gallery

Hoisting X-36.jpg, The aircraft is hoisted following its arrival at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in July 1996 X-36 Remote Cockpit.jpg, Remote cockpit X-36 Rogers Dry Lake first flight.jpg, A technician at Dryden prepares the X-36 for its first flight Takeoff of X-36 first flight.jpg, First flight 17 May 1997 Vuelox36nasa.jpg, In flight June 1997

References

External links

NASA fact sheet on the X-36 Tailless Fighter Agility Research Aircraft

"X-36 Proving Its Agility In Flight Testing"
Boeing, 1997.
''Boeing X-36 (1997): Tailless Agility''

Aviation Week & Space Technology ''Aviation Week & Space Technology'', often abbreviated ''Aviation Week'' or ''AW&ST'', is the flagship magazine of the Aviation Week Network, a division of Informa. The weekly magazine is available in print and online, reporting on the aeros ...