Air Launched
Aircraft that are dropped from a mothership, usually at altitude. All are manned unless noted otherwise.
| Year | Country of origin | Name of Aircraft | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | Germany | Fieseler Fi 103R Reichenberg | manned V-1 Flying Bomb dropped from Heinkel He 111 or rail launched |
| 1945 | Japan | Ohka | air-launched kamikaze aircraft |
| 1947 | United States | Bell X-1 | first aircraft to break the sound barrier in level flight (Also conventional take off on one occasion) |
| 1953 | United States | Douglas D-588-II Skyrocket | supersonic research aircraft |
| 1955 | United States | Bell X-2 | supersonic research aircraft |
| 1959 | United States | North American X-15 | hypersonic research aircraft |
| 1969 | United States | Martin Marietta X-24A | re-entry/lifting body research aircraft |
| 1973 | United States | Martin Marietta X-24B | re-entry/lifting body research aircraft |
Read more about this topic: List Of Rocket Aircraft
Famous quotes containing the words air and/or launched:
“Music, in performance, is a type of sculpture. The air in the performance is sculpted into something.”
—Frank Zappa (1940–1994)
“A book is like a child: it is easier to bring it into the world than to control it when it is launched there.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)