The X-24B was the last aircraft in a series of rocket-powered NACA-NASA research vehicles. It flew from February 1, 1972 until November 26, 1975.

The X-24B was the last in a continuous series of rocket-powered NACA-NASA research aircraft that began with the XS-1 in 1946. It flew from February 1, 1972 until November 26, 1975, and also brought an end to 12 years of lifting body flight research.

The wingless lifting body aircraft studied the feasibility of maneuvering and landing a hypersonic reentry vehicle. The concept evolved as researchers considered alternatives to the ballistic reentries of the "manned" space capsules of the 1960's.

The M2's, HL-10 and X-24A had hypersonic lift-to-drag ratios of about 1.4 to 1.2. They made quick and steep approaches, but accurate landings had been demonstrated with all of them, so a lift-to-drag ratio of 2.5 was the next goal. This increase in lift-to-drag ratios could provide considerably more range and maneuvering capability, and seemed a likely target for the performance of the future Space Shuttle. The X-24B represented an aerodynamic configuration of a hypersonic reentry vehicle with a lift-to-drag ratio of 2.5.

The goal of the X-24B program was to study this design at supersonic and subsonic flight regimes, with particular attention to a goal of accurate, unpowered landings.

The design of the X-24B came from research at the Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory. It was a lifting body shape called FDL-7, and to save money and simplify systems development it was decided to modify the X-24A into the FDL-7 body shape.

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