| X-56 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Rendering of the X-56A in flight | |
| Role | Experimental aircraft Type of aircraft |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed MartinSkunk Works |
| First flight | 26 July 2013 |
| Primary users | NASA Air Force Research Laboratory |
| Number built | 2 |
TheLockheed Martin X-56 is an Americanmodularunmanned aerial vehicle that is being designed to exploreHigh-Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) flight technologies for use in future military unmannedreconnaissance aircraft.
Designed by Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Programs, known informally as theSkunk Works,[1] the aircraft was first revealed byAviation Week,[2] and is intended to research activeflutter suppression and gust-load alleviation technologies. The X-56A is based on Lockheed's earlier UAV work, showing influence from thePolecat,Sentinel andDarkStar UAVs. The program calls for the construction of two 7.5 feet (2.3 m)-longfuselages and a wingspan of 27.5 ft,[3] with four sets of wings being constructed for flight testing.[4]
The X-56A first flew on 26 July 2013,[5] flying fromEdwards Air Force Base; twenty flights were to be flown on behalf of theAir Force Research Laboratory before the aircraft would be handed over toNASA for further testing.[6]
The first X-56A unmanned aircraft was severely damaged in a crash shortly after takeoff from the dry lakebed atEdwards AFB, California, on 19 November 2015, on its first flexible-wing flight to test active flutter suppression. The aircraft had previously made 16 flights with stiff wings to prove its operating envelope.[7]
The second X-56A unmanned aircraft flew for the first time on 9 April 2015 while under operation by NASA.[8] The aircraft flew eight flights with the stiff wings to clear its operating envelope.[9] The vehicle then completed its first flight with the highly flexible wings on 31 August 2017.[10]
One instability mode, body freedomflutter, was shown to be actively suppressed by the digitalflight control at 110 kn (200 km/h), within its normalflight envelope.Slender, flexible and lighter low-drag wings would be enabled by flutter suppression.[11]
X-56B was destroyed in a crash on 9 July 2021 after suffering an "anomaly in flight".[12]
Data from[5]
General characteristics
Performance
Related lists
