Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer

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.

Modern Military Aviation
Object Details
Country of Origin United States of America Type CRAFT-Test Vehicles Manufacturer NASA, Aero Research Center
 Physical Description Small remotely piloted vehicle with oblique wing; tri-gear; 1976. Dimensions Approximate: 22ft x 15ft 6in. (670.56 x 472.44cm)
 Inventory Number A19810660000 Credit Line Transferred from NASA Ames Research Center Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.