Northrop X-4 Bantam

Technology Demonstrator Aircraft [ 1948 ]

The Northrop X-4 Bantam test platform offered data concerning tailless aircraft design.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/18/2016 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image from the National Museum of the United States Air Force of Dayton, Ohio.

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The compact Northrop X-4 "Bantam" research aircraft was built by the Northrop Corporation for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), forerunner to today's NASA, and the United States Air Force (USAF) to test aspects of flight as related to tailless aircraft design. Two prototypes were eventually completed with a first flight recorded on December 15th, 1948. Lacking true tail-area horizontal plane control surfaces, the design instead relied on a combination elevator/aileron arrangement (known as "elevons") to handle the aircraft's pitch and roll actions. The pair of aircraft proved troublesome throughout their test lives for their designs were generally unsound and unstable - recording just ten total flights from the period spanning 1950 to 1953.

As completed, the X-4 held an appearance akin to some fancy, sleek single-seat fighter envisioned by a comic book artist of the 1950s. The fuselage was well-rounded though purposely short with the swept-back wing mainplanes making up much of the aircraft's showcased surface area. In some ways, this design mimicked that as seen in the World War 2-era Messerschmitt Me 163 "Komet" rocket-powered interceptor which made an appearance in the latter half of the war. A twin-engine configuration was chosen for the X-4 which fitted 2 x Westinghouse J30-WE-7/9 series turbojet engines outputting at 1,600 lb thrust each and intakes set to either side of the cockpit. The tail unit held just the sole vertical fin and the undercarriage was a wheeled tricycle arrangement. Dimensions included a length of 7 meters, a wingspan of 8.2 meters, and a height of 4.5 meters. Performance from the two engines netted a maximum speed of 625 miles per hour, a range out to 420 miles, a service ceiling of 42,300 feet, and a rate-of-climb of 7,700 feet per minute.

Work on the tailless aircraft began with the formal contract given to Northrop on June 11th, 1946. By this time, World War 2 had been over for nearly a year and Northrop was furthering its interest in tailless flight through its collection of flying wings. As such, the marriage for this endeavor between the USAF and Northrop was in some ways fitting for the time. The initial test vehicle was delivered to USAF hands in November of 1948 and NACA began testing with the X-4 system in September of 1950.

Throughout its test life, the X-4 was modified and revised as required to help correct the many issues that permeated the product. The X-4 too was a product well-ahead of its time for the flight control systems of the day were limiting for the rather advanced design. The USAF began to look deeper into delta-wing configurations and eventually abandoned the idea of a tailless for the interim. The original X-4 aircraft was cannibalized to help along the second aircraft before the end.

The pair of X-4s were all that was made out of the short-lived Bantam program. The sole remaining example is currently (2015) found at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1948

Origin

United States

Crew

1

Production

2
UNITS

Northrop Aircraft Corporation - USA

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

United States

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ X-Plane (Developmental, Prototype, Technology Demonstrator)
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.

Length

23.3 ft
(7.10 m)

Width/Span

26.9 ft
(8.20 m)

Height

14.8 ft
(4.50 m)

Empty Wgt

5,600 lb
(2,540 kg)

MTOW

7,826 lb
(3,550 kg)

Wgt Diff

+2,227 lb
(+1,010 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Northrop X-4 Bantam production variant)

Installed: 2 x Westinghouse J30 turbojet engines developing 1,600 lb thrust each.

Max Speed

643 mph
(1,035 kph | 559 kts)

Ceiling

43,999 ft
(13,411 m | 8 mi)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Northrop X-4 Bantam production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

None.

Supported Types

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

X-4 "Bantam" - Base Series Designation

Cockpit image of the Northrop X-4 Bantam

Cockpit image represents the Northrop X-4 Bantam Research Aircraft production model.

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Images Gallery

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Image from the National Museum of the United States Air Force of Dayton, Ohio.

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Image from the National Museum of the United States Air Force of Dayton, Ohio.

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Image from the National Museum of the United States Air Force of Dayton, Ohio.

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