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Boeing X-32 JSF (Joint Stike Fighter)

2000 MODERN AIRCRAFT X-PLANE

History of the Boeing X-32 JSF (Joint Strike Fighter)

The Boeing X-32 is a prototype aircraft developed for the US military's Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. Boeing filed an application to compete with the Lockheed X-35, which later won a lucrative defense contract, leaving the X-32 in the history of military aviation. The Lockheed X-35 was further developed before becoming the U.S.

Air Force's VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) capable multirole F-35 Lightning II aircraft. The F-35 is expected to be officially launched after 2016.

The Joint Strike Fighter Program was created in 1994 to simplify the requirements of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the United States Department of Defense (US DoD). The purpose of the program is to develop a multi-role aircraft capable of short-range, vertical and conventional takeoffs and landings, while providing advanced ordnance at low cost.

The plane will replace some of the modern but aging models in service with the U.S. military. Initial proposals were submitted, and Boeing and Lockheed Martin were selected for its design concept in 1996. The program will be federally funded to control long-term project costs, and each company will be responsible for building a pair of prototypes for evaluation.

The JSF winner will end up stocking hundreds or even thousands of copies in U.S. inventory, with the potential for international sales.

Boeing's submission is referred to as "X-32". At its core is a sleek design with sharp corners seamlessly blending into a sleek silhouette, leveraging all the learned concepts of "stealth" flight and radar evasion. The cockpit is located behind a short nose assembly at the front of the fuselage.

The triangular wing is mounted high, eliminating the use of a traditional fin, which has a pair of vertical fins that slope outward. Power is provided by a Pratt & Whitney F119 series turbofan engine with 28,000 lbs of thrust capable of afterburner combustion (43,000 lbs of thrust) and suctioned through a chin-mounted intake assembly. This system of intake ducts gives the X-32 a very deep fuselage appearance and gives it its unique shape. The engines are ejected from the tail through a specially designed port to minimize the aircraft's radar signature.

The landing gear is a traditional tricycle arrangement with a pair of single-wheeled main legs under each wing and a single-wheeled front leg under the air intake assembly. Due to the elevated cockpit position and the light-frame canopy design, the pilot has a good view of what is happening around the aircraft.

The hood slides back open.

With the program in full swing, a U.S. Navy revision request forced the Boeing team to revise the wing components on its prototype. The U.S. Navy has sought improved fighter jet designs with increased agility and broader weapons capabilities, much to the chagrin of Boeing engineers, which they owe.

The X-32 came with a more traditional swept wing configuration, as well as a horizontal stabilizer that was not mounted on the tail. This design change would prove to be one of the big events for the X-32 program.

Another issue was the Boeing team's decision to produce two separate prototypes to meet conventional takeoff and landing and VTOL ratings. On the other hand, Lockheed managed to create a prototype to demonstrate both actions, which certainly helped improve the odds of winning.

The first flight of the Boeing X-32 prototype took place on September 18, 2000, with a successful conventional takeoff and landing. VTOL testing followed with a second prototype on March 29, 2001.

The Pratt & Whitney engine achieves a top speed of Mach 1.6 (1,200 miles per hour), while the X-32 has a conventional takeoff range of 1,574 kilometers and a landing arrangement. The VTOL version - mainly used on space carrier decks - has a range of 1,112 kilometers.

Flight tests will end in July 2001.

Proposed weapons include an internal 20mm M61A2 series cannon. All main guns will be shielded in internal gun bays on both sides of the hull. This would accommodate a possible combination of air-to-air missiles and the latest guided bombs. The X-32 can also be modified to accept optional externally mounted ammunition (this includes the installation of external fuel tanks to increase combat range).

The international version of the proposed production X-32 would be equipped with a Mauser BK-27 series 27mm internal cannon and similar missile/guided bombs.

After evaluating both systems, Lockheed's design was chosen as the winner, and the X-32 was doomed. The main deciding factor ultimately came from Lockheed's use of "shaft-driven" lift fans, rather than Boeing's thrust-vectoring "direct lift" system.

Although more expensive and unproven, Lockheed's design plans outperform Boeing's "safer" drive. Two X-32 prototypes were subsequently made available to the museum as exhibits, while some of the systems developed during the development of the X-32 were implemented on Boeing's current roster of U.S. military aircraft - proving that all was not lost.

The X-32A prototype made 66 flights, while the X-32B prototype made 78 flights.