Deutsches Museum Flugwerft Schleißheim - EADS Boeing X-31 05

            The Rockwell-Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm X-31 was an experimental jet fighter designed to test fighter thrust vectoring technology.

It was designed and built by Rockwell and Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB), as part of a joint US and German Enhanced Fighter Maneuverability program to provide additional control authority in pitch and yaw, for significantly more maneuverability than most conventional fighters. An advanced flight control system provided controlled flight at high angles of attack where conventional aircraft would stall or lose control. Two aircraft were built, of which only one has survived.

The X-31 design was essentially an all-new airframe design, although it borrowed heavily on design elements and sometimes actual parts of previous production, prototype, and conceptual aircraft designs, including the British Aerospace Experimental Airplane Programme (choice of wing type with canards, plus underfuselage intake), the German TKF-90 (wing planform concepts and underfuselage intake), F/A-18 Hornet (forebody, including cockpit, ejection seat, and canopy; electrical generators), F-16 Fighting Falcon (landing gear, fuel pump, rudder pedals, nosewheel tires, and emergency power unit), F-16XL (leading-edge flap drives), V-22 Osprey (control surface actuators), Cessna Citation (main landing gear's wheels and brakes), F-20 Tigershark (hydrazine emergency air-start system, later replaced) and B-1 Lancer (spindles from its control vanes used for the canards). This was done on purpose, so that development time and risk would be reduced by using flight-qualified components. To reduce the cost of tooling for a production run of only two aircraft, Rockwell developed the "fly-away tooling" concept (perhaps the most successful spinoff of the program), whereby 15 fuselage frames were manufactured via CNC, tied together with a holding fixture, and attached to the factory floor with survey equipment. That assembly then became the tooling for the plane, which was built around it, thus "flying away" with its own tooling.

Two X-31s were built, with the first flying on October 11, 1990. Over 500 test flights were carried out between 1990 and 1995. The X-31 is a canard delta, a delta wing aircraft which uses canard foreplanes for primary pitch control, with secondary thrust-vectoring control. The canard delta had earlier been used on the Saab Viggen strike fighter, and has since become common on fighters such as the Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale and Gripen which were all designed and flew several years before the X-31. The X-31 featured a cranked-delta wing (similar to the Saab 35 Draken and the F-16XL prototype), and fixed strakes along the aft fuselage, as well as a pair of movable computer-controlled canards to increase stability and maneuverability. There are no moveable horizontal tail surfaces, only the vertical fin with rudder. Pitch and roll are controlled by the canard with the aid of the three paddles directing the exhaust (thrust vectoring). Eventually, simulations and flight tests on one of the X-31s showed that flight would be stable without the vertical fin, because the thrust-vectoring nozzle provided sufficient yaw and pitch control.

BuNo 164585, 288 flights, the last one being in 2003. Put on Permanent Display at Deutsches Museum Flugwerft Schleissheim in Germany.

Some rights reserved

Taken in: Germany / Bavaria / Munich / Oberschleißheim (show map)

Taken on: July 6, 2022

Tags:

Deutsches Museum

Bayern

museum

aircraft

hdr

Deutschland

Germany

Deutsches Museum Flugwerft Schleißheim

Bavaria

EADS

Boeing

X-31

EADS Boeing X-31

Rockwell-MBB

Rockwell-MBB X-31

Bundeswehr

Plane

Airplane

Luftwaffe

Air Force

German Air Force

Luftfahrzeug

Aeronave

Aéronef

Flugzeug

Flyvemaskine

aeroplane

Avión

Avion

Aeroplano

Vliegtuig

Самолёт

аэроплан

Uçak

Luchtvaartuig

Aeromobile

Воздушное судно

Hava aracı

geschichte

travel

Rejse

Viaje

Voyage

Viaggio

Reis

Путешествие

Podróż

여행

מסע

यात्रा

旅行

reisen

reise

μουσεῖον

Musée

Museo

Muzeum

متحف

ܥܬܩܐ জাদুঘর Музей Μουσείο 博物館 Museo 한국어 Muzeum हिन्द

מוזיאון

জাদুঘর

музейμουσείο

博物館

한국어

हिन्द « less

Sets appears in: • Deutsches Museum Flugwerft Schleißheim • Aircraft spotting more » • Freistaat Bayern - Free State of Bavaria « less

Groups appears in: • Jet Airplanes • Aviation more » • Aircraft • !FlickrSoup for Soul • Military Aviation Photography • Aeronautical • Flickritis: over 87,000 waiting for a vaccine. • Airplanes and Airports • Airplanes • CLICK the CAMERA • Aviões / Aircrafts • *Inspirational Travel Photos • "A" Class (comment 2) Pls, Comment immediately. • 1-2-3 HDR (Post 1 - Comment 2 - View 3) • Aviación militar • BULL'S EYE ( post 1 - throw 3 Darts) SPRING CONTEST - open! • Anything Aviation • *Best of Flickr* (Comment 1 / invite 2) PHOTOS ONLY • ~Artistic Aviation~ • Dazzling Shots | Post 1 comment 5 | • " Damn Cool Photographers in the WORLD " .♥.♥.♥ • " MASTER CLASS PHOTOGRAPHY " • " FLICKR Stars :: COMMENT OR BAN :: post 1 award 6: • ANTICANDO!!!(P2/Aw3)Please,only Subject ANCIENT • " Life Is Great - C'est La Vie - So ist das Leben !" • The World By Air • Military Aircraft of the World • "This Photo Rocks!" (Post 7 - Award 3) • "World Trekker" (Post 7 - Award 3) • Deutsche Fotowelt • "History & Antiquities (Post 5 - Award 3)" • Military Aircraft • The Aviation Museum • DDSNET(♥Group for My Friends♥) Post1 Award 2 [9000+] • *** HDR AWARD [POST 1 - AWARD 5] *** • Bouncing Ball-Post 1/AWARD 2 • "IQ" - Image Quality • Beautiful Expression • !Group Tripod (post1~comment4) • ***FLICKRPEDIA*** House of Knowledge/Please comment on 3 • *** MoNKeY aWaRDs *** • Elite Photography (Post 1 Award 2 Fave 1) • *Music To My Eyes*~L1 w/7 Levels ~Active Sweeper ! ~ P1 A5 ~ • *The Feel of Photography* New Contest* Water Fowl* • A.T.M PHOTOGRAPHY " Post 1 Award 3 " *Sweeper* • *The Best Of The B-E-S-T Post 1/Comment 3 • Dragon Dagger Awards ◇◇◇ moderated queue ◇ • " Your BEST of Today " - Through MY Eyes • *Photography Rocks!!! (post 1 award 3) :) * • Art of Images ~ AOI L1~ ( Post 1, Award 3) NO "AI Portraits" • !!Perfect Composition!! • **Super Best Shots on Flickr**/ P.1, A.5 ! NO COMMENT=BAN! • A Real Gem! - Post One ~ Award Three - 10,000+ Members Strong! • !!! "The Best" Shots • Engineering as Art • *Flickr's BEST* - SERIOUS Photographers - Post 1/Comment 3 • !*Flickr Award Group*! (GIVE 5 AWARDS) • **HDR Terrorist (Post 1, Comment 2)** • Aviation / Luftfahrt • Absolutely Perrrfect:SWEEPER!! • Exquisite Capture (P1 ~ A2) [NO PORN/NO NUDES] • Addicted to Photograph(Post 2+Comment3)*SWEEPER ACTIVE* • GIGANTIC AIRCRAFT • The Machines.. (Post 1 - Award 2) • Details of the World - Details / Detalles / Detalhes / Dettaglis • *Splash*(P1/A2) - ongoing Monthly contest • !! Photo Lovers!(Post 2+Comment 3)*SWEEPER ACTIVE* • A day in the life of ours... • *ANGEL AWARDS, POST 1 / GIVE 3 ANGELS , SWEEPER ACTIVE • Beautiful Photo ( Post 2 - Comment 5.)*SWEEPER ACTIVE* • The Key of Your Mind GOLD ☼ • Photos beautiful • Solidarity against cancer ♠ Solidaridad contra el cáncer • ★ Flight ★ • Aviation Worldwide • *Golden Apple Award* P1 & C2 • Give Me 5 - Award The Next 5 Pictures Immediately! • Build your rainbow L1 TRANSPARENT (Award 5) • A Photos **( POST 1 AWARD 5 )** • "LUMEN" ☀ Zauber des Lichtes ☼ Magic Light ✺ • Love for Life --- Amor pela vida! Post 1 comment 1 • * ~♥~Photography Is Love~♥~ (ONLY PHOTOGRAPHY) P 1 / C 2 ~ • " PHOTOS - GERMANY or AUSTRIA" (Award 3 - please) • Fine Gold • *** Aviation Awards *** Post 1 / Award 3 • Aircraft at Air Shows & Air Museums World-wide • Avions. • A-V-I-A-T-I-O-N • Military Aviation of the World • THE LOOK level 1 RED • Adventure + Photography (post 1 comment 3) • Aviones y helicopteros -- Planes and helicopters • Extraordinary Photography ~ (No People Shots) • *MADE IN GERMANY* • ANCIENT RELICS • Aviones (Sin limite de grupos) • Aviation World • The Group Airplanes and Helicopters ( POST 1 AWARD 1 ) • !*ALL ARE WELCOME*! • #1 Various images from around the world • The Aviation Group (No 30/60 limit) • * Airplanes ~ all Airplanes ~ only Airplanes → (post1~award1) • 2.000 / 2000 views at least (NO LIMITS, NO 30/60) • 500 views at least (NO LIMITS, NO 30/60) • 1.000 / 1000 views at least (NO LIMITS, NO 30/60) • 300 views at least (NO LIMITS, NO 30/60) • 100 views at least (NO LIMITS, NO 30/60) • 400 views at least (NO LIMITS, NO 30/60) • 200 views at least (NO LIMITS, NO 30/60) • Django's Master Class Photo Group • A. LOST WORLD • ANCIENT WORLD • - Lise´s Friends - L1 • Photo Prime Level 1 Post 1/Award 5 Post Your Best • !*All Around The World*! • PASSION for Photography L1 - Award 2 • WORLD in FOCUS L1 (P1-C2) • Photo Addiction NO PHOTOS OF PEOPLE Level 1 • Photo Classic Level 1 NO Photos with PEOPLE Post 1 Award 5 • Click Click L1 (Award 2 ) • Fantastic Photos Level 1 (Award 2) « less

Stats: 4,745 views / 86 comments

go back

Link to this photo view:
Link to this photo large view: