First Flight: April 26, 1951
Mission: Test bed for high speed air-breathing engines (ramjets).
Major Accomplishments: Successfully served as a test bed for ramjet engines,
primarily for the Boeing Bomarc anti-aircraft missile (click here for Bomarc image from USAF
museum). There were 3 major configurations of the X-7 series: the X-7A-1, the X-7A-3
and the X-7B.
Power Source: Combination of solid fuel boosters and ram-jet engines
Wing Span: X-7A-1: 12' 0", X-7A-3 & X-7B:10' 0"
Length: X-7A-1: 32' 9", X-7A-3 & X-7B:37' 0"
Maximum Achieved Speed: 2,000+mph
Additional Information: Holds the ultimate speed record for air-breathing aircraft, at over 2,000 mph. This X-7 series was flown in many different configuration and had many missions during its 10 year service life. In addition to serving as a ram-jet test bed, it carried communication equipment for acceleration testing, and was used to test aerodynamics, booster propellants, thermodynamics and high speed parachutes. Flight testing was conducted by the United States Air Force, United States Army and the United States Navy. Several X-7 examples can be found around the United States including at the White Sands missile test range.
Photos courtesy of Richard Dukes, who provides the following information:
This X-7 was saved by my self and staff many years ago and it was
finally restored and placed on display in Aug. 2001 in Alamogordo @ the New
Mexico Museum of Space History. Photo here shows the 7 nearly completed next to
a XQ-4B Supersonic high altitude target drone (supercruise ability) at the
museums restoration facility, the Museum Support Center. Today this project is
almost complete and we plan to have it on display by summer. Note that our seven
is a very early model (rudder and engine) I cannot confirm that this one was
flown due to Holloman AFB personnel that had sandblasted any markings away.
However from internal markings and fittings it is very possible that it could
have been one of the three boosted flights to iron out initial problems with the
booster. The 20" ramjet is not an actual engine but had proper inlet and
outlet fashioned from wood also contained wiring harness more than likely for
instrumentation. Also the paint scheme was selected from a video of an early
seven being pushed from a hanger at near by HAFB.
Thanks Richard!
