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McDonnell Douglas X-36

The tailless X-36 in flight over California in 1997. Note the illustrated people in the cockpit.
The tailless X-36 in flight over California in 1997. Note the illustrated people in the cockpit. Photo: NASA Photo / Carla Thomas

This plane looks like it was inspired by a prostrate frog. The X-36 was an unmanned craft built to showcase a sort of tailless fighter jet that would be especially maneuverable in the air. Without the tail typical on such speedy aircraft, from above the X-36 looks more like a chevron than the classic lowercase t. The X-plane was built at quarter-scale, weighing in at 1,245 pounds—about as much as a grizzly bear. Only two X-36s were ever built, and only one flew, according to the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

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