| X-24 | |
|---|---|
 The X-24B in flight | |
| General information | |
| Type | Lifting body |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Martin Marietta |
| Primary users | United States Air Force |
| Number built | 1 (X-24A, rebuilt as X-24B) |
| History | |
| First flight |
|
| Retired | 26 November 1975 |
| Developed from | X-23 PRIME |
The Martin Marietta X-24 is an American experimental aircraft developed from a joint United States Air Force-NASA program named PILOT (1963–1975). It was designed and built to test lifting body concepts, experimenting with the concept of unpowered reentry and landing, later used by the Space Shuttle.[1] Originally built as the X-24A, the aircraft was later rebuilt as the X-24B.
The X-24 was drop launched from a modified B-52 Stratofortress at high altitudes before igniting its rocket engine; after expending its rocket fuel, the pilot would glide the X-24 to an unpowered landing.[2][3]
- ^ Reed, R. Dale; Darlene Lister (2002). Wingless Flight: The Lifting Body Story. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-9026-6. also available as a PDF file.
- ^ "MARTIN X-24B". National Museum of the US Air Force. August 26, 2009. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
- ^ "X-24B launch – air drop from mothership". Dryden Flight Research Center. Archived from the original on October 6, 1999. Retrieved March 25, 2013.