Bell X-2
E17995
The Bell X-2 was a rocket-powered experimental research aircraft developed in the 1950s to investigate flight characteristics at extremely high speeds and altitudes, contributing crucial data to early supersonic and space-era aeronautics.
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
X-plane
→
experimental aircraft → research aircraft → rocket-powered aircraft → |
| accident |
fatal crash on 1956-09-27
→
|
| carrierAircraft |
B-50 Superfortress
→
|
| constructionMaterial |
K-monel
→
stainless steel → |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States
→
|
| crashCause |
loss of control due to inertial coupling
→
|
| crew |
1
→
|
| engineType |
liquid-fueled rocket engine
→
|
| fatalities |
1 in 1956 crash
→
|
| firstFlight |
1952-11-18
→
|
| firstPoweredFlight |
1955-11-18
→
|
| fuselageType |
slender streamlined fuselage
→
|
| introduced |
1955
→
|
| landingGear |
retractable tricycle landing gear
→
|
| launchMethod |
air launch from carrier aircraft
→
|
| manufacturer |
Bell Aircraft
→
|
| maximumAltitude |
over 126,000 feet
→
over 38,000 meters → |
| maximumSpeed |
about Mach 3.2
→
approximately 3,370 km/h → |
| notableFlight |
record Mach 3.2 flight by Milburn G. Apt
→
|
| numberBuilt |
2
→
|
| operator |
National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
→
United States Air Force → |
| powerplant |
Curtiss-Wright XLR25 rocket engine
→
|
| primaryUser |
United States Air Force
→
|
| program |
X-plane program
→
|
| purpose |
high-altitude research
→
high-speed research → investigation of flight characteristics at Mach 2–3 → study of aerodynamic heating → study of stability and control at very high Mach numbers → |
| record |
first aircraft to exceed Mach 3 in level flight
→
|
| researchContribution |
contributed to design of later high-speed aircraft
→
data on aerodynamic heating at Mach 2–3 → data on stability and control at very high Mach numbers → informed early space-era aeronautics → |
| retired |
1956
→
|
| status |
retired
→
|
| successorInRole |
Bell X-15
→
|
| tailConfiguration |
conventional tail unit
→
|
| testPilot |
Frank K. Everest Jr.
→
Iven C. Kincheloe Jr. → Milburn G. Apt → |
| wingConfiguration |
mid-wing monoplane
→
|
Referenced by (2)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
X-Plane experimental aircraft programs
→
|
notableAircraft |
|
Curtiss-Wright XLR25
→
|
usedIn |