Here's a view from above of the X-48B during that August 14 flight. To date only two of the aircraft have been built--this one, known as Ship 2, and Ship 1, which was used for wind tunnel testing and which is available as a backup during flight tests. At just 500 pounds with a 21-foot wingspan, these remote-controlled vehicles are just scale models. By the end of the year, Boeing expects the X-48B to have made 25 flights, with a focus on low-speed handling and on stability, most notably at takeoff and landing.
The three turbojets on the tailless fuselage, according to Boeing, should allow the X-48B to fly at speeds of up to 120 knots and at altitudes as high as 10,000 feet--modifications would be needed for higher-speed flights. This small, unmanned prototype has a forward-looking camera that provides a bird's-eye view for the operator on the ground, who uses conventional aircraft instrumentation and controls.
Photo by NASA photo by Carla Thomas
Caption by Jonathan Skillings
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