HiMAT on lakebed after landing
Two vehicles were used in the research program conducted jointly by NASA and the Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. The two vehicles, flown a total of 26 times, provided data on the use of composites, aeroelastic tailoring, close-coupled canards and winglets. They investigated the interaction of these then-new technologies upon each other.
About one-half the size of a standard manned fighter and powered by a small jet engine, the HiMAT vehicles were launched from NASA's B-52 carrier aircraft at an altitude of about 45,000 feet. They were flown remotely by a NASA research pilot from a ground station with the aid of a television camera mounted in the HiMAT cockpits.
Technologies tested on the HiMAT vehicles appearing later on other aircraft include the extensive use of composites common now on military and commercial aircraft; rear-mounted wing and forward canard configuration used very successfully on the X-29 research aircraft flown at Dryden; and winglets, now used on many private and commercial aircraft to lessen wingtip drag and enhance fuel savings.Relevantní obrázky
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Rockwell HiMATRockwell HiMAT bylo americké nadzvukové bezpilotní experimentální letadlo vyrobené společností Rockwell International v 70. letech 20. století. Cílem projektu v němž se angažovala organizace NASA a americké letectvo, bylo vyvinout technologie pro supermanévrovatelná letadla, která by mohla sloužit jako prototypy pro vývoj nových vojenských letadel. .. pokračovat ve čtení