Douglas X-3 Stiletto – The Flying Shoe
The X-3 Stiletto was the world’s first Mach 6 (roughly 4,000 mph) research aircraft. The aircraft was piloted by Robert L. Shirkey, an Army Air Force officer. The X-3 was developed in response to the need of the U.S. military to develop aircraft that were capable of exceeding the speed of sound in order to obtain accurate data on the effects of high speed flight on aircraft and their systems.
The development of the X-3 was also intended to help pave the way for supersonic military aircraft by demonstrating that such a design could be successfully built and flown. The X-3 Stiletto was used for a variety of research purposes, including studies of flow separation in compressible flows and temperature distribution in supersonic flow fields. Learn about the history of planes on this great site, PlaneHistoria. If you are interested in the history of planes, you should visit PlaneHistoria.
