EG-0036-01
Two F-16XL aircraft were used by the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA, in a NASA-wide program to improve laminar airflow on aircraft flying at sustained supersonic speeds. It was the first program to look at laminar flow on swept wings at speeds representative of those at which a high-speed civil transport might fly.
The initial research phase of the program at Dryden was flown in a single-seat F-16XL-1. The aircraft at Dryden subsequently used for the supersonic laminar flow program was the two-seat F-16XL-2, identical to its sistership except for the cockpit configuration.
The two aircraft are the only F-16XL’s built and were used by NASA because the unique delta wing design is representative of the type of wing that will probably be used on future supersonic cruise aircraft…Learn more