Code One Magazine: The X Planes, X-2

X-2
Mission: The X-2 was the first of the X-series to be optimized to fly at Mach 3.0. Built of exotic stainless steel alloys and K-monel, it was the first aircraft ever designed to explore speeds that would generate enough friction heat to impair the structural integrity of the airframe. Extremely advanced for its day, the X-2 was equipped with an encapsulated ejection system, swept wings, and, initially, the first fly-by-wire flight control system ever installed on a high-performance aircraft. (It was removed and replaced before being flight tested.) It was powered by a two-chamber Reaction Motors XLR25 rocket engine.

Manufacturer: Bell Aircraft Corporation
Number Built: 2
Sponsor: USAF, NACA
Fastest Flight: 3.196 Mach (2,094 mph)
Highest Flight: 125,907 feet
First Flight: 27 June 1952
Last Flight: 27 September 1956
Total Flights: 20
Length: 45 feet 5 inches
Wingspan: 37 feet 10 inches
Height: 11 feet 9 inches

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