X-29A Forward Swept Wing Demonstrator

• Wingspan: 27 ft., 2.5 in.
• Length: 63 ft., 11.25 in.
• Height: 14 ft., 3.5 in.
• Weight: 17,800 lbs gross, 13,800 lbs empty.
• Speed: Mach 1.6 (approx)
• Ceiling: 51,000 feet (measured, but may be higher as testing continues)
• Engines: One GE F404-GD-400 Turbofan@16,000 lbs thrust approx.
• Crew: 1

The X-29A is a multi-technology demonstrator being flo Click hwn by NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, CA. The introduction of advanced lightweight composite materials and improvements in fly-by-wire systems has eliminated a major number of the difficulties in saftey, reliability and performance in this type of aircraft.

Originally developed in conjuction withthe USAF's Aeronautical Space Division, with Grumman Aircraft performing hte contract by modifying a standard Northrup F-5 airframe and adding F-16 main landing gear and control actuators. In flight the compotoe wings change form constantly to facilitate control of the radical airfoil geometry. The avionoics are triplex-redundant fly by wire, and continuously monitor the flight envelop in order to properly control the forward canards, wing trailing edges, flaperons, strake flaps, and tail pieces.

The first supersonic flight of the X-29A occurred on December 1985 with the speed at 1.03 Mach at 40,000 feet. Later the number one aircraft acheived Mach 1.52 at 51,000 (after 242 flights, a record for any X aircraft) before being grounded as a flyable spares for the second demo aircraft.

The second demonstrator aircraft is being used to study the low speed, high angle of attack characteristics of the design.