Thread to Discuss the X-31 project as I found it interesting and dont want to Fill Rumour roundup and discussion with it
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briefly: the X-31 was a technology demonstrator/research project by MBB (Messerschmitt Bölkow blöhm) and Rockwell international in service from 1990 until 2003, the first prototype crashed and the second prototype can be viewed at the Flugwerft Schließheim in Munich
it was mainly used to test thrust vectoring which was planned to be introduced to the JAS39 and EF2000 but eventually didn’t
@Deathmisser the project was started after MBB and rockwell abandoned the EAP project so it can be seen as a Direct follow up or relative of it
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whats the reason for the things at the end ? covering the engine a bit ???
EDIT: nvm
Looks like an A-4 did it with a Gripen
thrust vectoring, also known as supermanouverability as it is used in some russian jets
it was efficient enough that the prototype could fly without a rudder
ye i saw that after i sent the msg then i saw your msg about trust vectoring xD
But why is there 1 picture with it missing something of the tail ?
was it on purpose ?
yes, the efficency of the thrustvectoring as main control was good enough that the rudder could be entirely removed without making the aircraft uncontrollable
also on the F-22
from what I read the F-22’s thrust vectoring was introduced because of the sucess of X-31
Cool. Videos of the F-22 turning is nuts.
Thrust vectoring? I’m kinda surprised American hasn’t done more thrust vectoring, as Russia already has.
What were (or was going to be) it’s weapons?
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it’s armarments were one angry test pilot and a truckload of research papers
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as I said it was planned for EF2000 and JAS39 but it didn’t eventually get added to them for unknown-to-me reasons
Lmao what?😂
it was a pure research plane, no armarment was planned
you could say it resulted in the Eurofighter and F-22 but that’d be quite a strech
Oh okay. So the test pilot didn’t get absolutely yeeted out of it like I was picturing 😂
about that… Test pilot Karl Lang did get yeeted out of the first X-31 but not quite voluntarily
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Oh lmao, that’s what I was imagining 😂