The Rockwell-Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm X-31 is an experimental jet aircraft designed to test fighter thrust vectoring technology.

Jul 7, 2024 · Summary and Key Points: The X-31 Enhanced Fighter Maneuverability Demonstrator, developed in the 1990s by Rockwell-Messerschmidt-Böklow-Blohm, was a groundbreaking aircraft designed to...

Feb 28, 2014 · The X-31 program logged an X-plane record of 580 flights, 559 research missions and 21 demonstration flights at the 1995 Paris Air Show, where its performance wowed the crowds. The X-31 project was the first international experimental aircraft development program administered by a U.S government agency.

The X-31 experimental aircraft was designed and built by Rockwell and Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB), as part of a joint U.S. and German Enhanced Fighter Maneuverability program to improve pilots’ abilities to control the aircraft’s pitch and yaw with more finesse than was possible in most conventional fighters.

Jan 15, 2015 · The X-31 was unique in the world of experimental or X-airplanes. It was the only X-plane that was designed, manufactured, and flight tested as an international effort; a joint effort of the United States and Germany.

Jul 26, 2023 · The X-31 Enhanced Fighter Maneuverability Technology Demonstrator Aircraft, based at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, begins rolling... The three thrust-vectoring aircraft at Edwards, California, each capable of flying at extreme angles of attack, cruise over the California...

Nov 6, 2018 · The X-31 was an international flight research program that involved collaboration from NASA, U.S. Air Force, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, U.S. Navy, Deutsche Aerospace, German Federal Ministry of Defense, and Rockwell International during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Jan 19, 1995 · The X-31 was an experimental thrust-vectoring jet designed for stable flight at high angles of attack. The first of only two X-31 airframes built crashed on what was supposed to the plane’s final test flight.

The X-31 program demonstrated the value of thrust vectoring (directing engine exhaust flow) coupled with advanced flight control systems, to provide controlled flight during close-in air combat at very high angles of attack. The result of this increased maneuverability was a significant advantage over most conventional fighters.

Jan 20, 2017 · The X-31 experimental aircraft was a joint development venture between Rockwell and Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm (MBB) of Germany to test the viability of thrust-vectoring hardware and software. Two prototypes were used throughout the program's run with a first-flight recorded on October 11th, 1990.