Bell X-1
The Bell X-1 was a family of air-launched rocket research aircraft built for a joint U.S. Army Air Forces and NACA transonic-flight program. Three first-generation aircraft and later derivatives investigated flight near and beyond Mach 1; X-1-1 became the first aircraft to exceed the speed of sound in controlled level flight on October 14, 1947.
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Identity
- Aliases
- Bell XS-1Bell X-1 series
- Family Name
- X-1
- Full Name
- Bell X-1
- Roles
- researchexperimentaltechnology_demonstrator
- Status
- retired
- Type
- aircraft
Details
- Aircraft Specs
- Configuration
- fixed_wing
- Max Takeoff Mass Kg
- 5,557
- Operating Modes
- land
- Description
- The Bell X-1 was a family of air-launched rocket research aircraft built for a joint U.S. Army Air Forces and NACA transonic-flight program. Three first-generation aircraft and later derivatives investigated flight near and beyond Mach 1; X-1-1 became the first aircraft to exceed the speed of sound in controlled level flight on October 14, 1947.
- Dimensions
- Height M
- 3.3
- First Flight Year
- 1,946
- Manufacturer
- Operator
- Propulsion Configurations
- Entries
- Count
- 1
- Placement
- fuselage
- Propulsion System
- Role
- main
- Stage
- airframe
- Variant Notes
- One Reaction Motors XLR11-RM-3 four-chamber liquid-propellant rocket engine in the aft fuselage.
- Name
- Bell X-1 Reaction Motors XLR11-RM-3 installation
- Notes
- NASA and Smithsonian sources identify the Bell X-1 family with a Reaction Motors XLR11-RM-3 liquid-propellant rocket engine; this relationship is bounded to the canonical X-1 family node.
Links
- Wikipedia Url
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_X-1
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- April 26, 2026 at 14:27:38 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 14, 2026 at 20:05:37 UTC
- Image
- Download