Oblique-Wing R.P.V.
In the mid 1970s, NASA developed the Oblique Wing Research Aircraft (OWRA), a small remotely piloted aircraft to investigate the aerodynamics and flight characteristics of oblique wings. Its novel asymmetrical wing can pivot between 60 and 90 degrees around a central point on the fuselage.
The subsonic, propeller-driven, proof-of-concept OWRA was built as a first step to test NASA aerodynamicist Robert T. Jones’ theory that a supersonic transport with an oblique wing would have twice the fuel efficiency of a conventional supersonic airliner. Test results encouraged NASA to build the AD-1, a manned oblique wing aircraft that confirmed the design’s low speed flight characteristics.
Wingspan:6.8 m (22 ft 4 in)
Length:5.9 m (19 ft 10 in)
Height:2 m (6 ft 8 in)
Weight, empty: 412 kg (908 lb)
Weight, gross:499 kg (1,100 lb)
Top speed:278 km/h (173 mph)
Engine:McCulloch 43188
Model O-100-1, 90 hp
Manufacturer:NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.,
Developmental Sciences Inc., City of Industry, Calif.
Display Status
This object is on display in Modern Military Aviation at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.
