X-2 launch from B-50 mothership

The X-2 was a swept-wing aircraft designed to fly three times as fast as the speed of sound. It was flown to investigate the problems of aerodynamic heating and stability and control effectiveness at high speeds and altitudes.

The X-2 was a single-place airplane with wings swept back to 40 degrees. It was 37 ft., 10 in. long, 11 ft. high and had a wingspan of 32.3 ft. It wasc onstructed primarily of steel (K-monel) and incorporated a skid-type main landing gear to make more room for fuel. It had an ejectable nose capsule.

The X-2 was powered by an XLR25-CW-3 two-chambered rocket engine. The Curtiss-Wright-manufactured engine was throttleable and had a thrust of from 2,500 to 15,000 lbs. Two X-2s were made for NACA and the Air Force by Bell Aircraft Co. They were air launched from a B-50 carrier aircraft.

After one X-2 (no. 2 aircraft) was destroyed in an explosion on a captive flight before ever making any powered flights, the other X-2 (no. 1 aircraft) went on to perform as predicted including making a flight on Sept.7, 1956, with Air Force Captain Iven Kincheloe at the controls to an altitude of 126,200 ft. Twenty days later the X-2 program ended when Air Force Captain Milburn Apt piloted the X-2 to its highest speed of 2,094 mph(over three times the speed of sound) before it went out of control and crashed. Captain Apt was fatally injured in the crash.

This 27-second video clip shows the launch of the X-2 from its B-50 mothership, ignition of its rocket engine, and flight. At the end of the clip, observers on the ground appear looking up at the X-2.

   Last Modified: December 9, 2001
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