DOUGLAS X-3 STILLETO

The Douglas X-3 Stiletto was an experimental aircraft of American production from the Cold War period. The propulsion was provided by two turbojet engines Westinghouse J34. The first flight of this machine took place in October 1952 - the machine never entered mass production. It also did not have any on-board weapons. The Douglas X-3 Stiletto was created in order to test in practice the effect of long-term supersonic flight on the aircraft structure. By far the most important requirement for the X-3 was to achieve the highest possible speed - in the assumptions estimated at Mach 2. This forced a very unusual design, with a long fuselage and thin and small wings. In practice, during the test flights, the X-3 Stiletto turned out to be very difficult to pilot and demanding on the pilot, and most of all it was mounted on engines that were far too weak, which allowed it to reach a maximum speed of Mach 1.2-1.3. Despite failing to meet the requirements set for it, the X-3 underwent a series of intensive tests, with its last flight in 1956. Lessons learned from the experience with the X-3 were later used in the construction of the F-104 Starfighter.