Experimental aviation
From the Wright Flyer to the X-planes: the experimental and research aircraft that changed aviation.
About experimental aircraft
Experimental aircraft are built to test new ideas before they are used in production aircraft: new wings, new engines, new materials or completely new ways of flying. Many were one-offs, built in only one or two examples and flown by test pilots who took great risks.
From the Wright Flyer of 1903 to the jets of the 1940s and the American X-planes, these aircraft broke the sound barrier, reached the edge of space and paved the way for the airliners and fighters we know today. Modern test aircraft are working on quiet supersonic flight, drones and new forms of propulsion.
Choose an era below, or use the A–Z list to go straight to an aircraft.
| Aircraft | Designation | Manufacturer | First flight | Role | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Wright Flyer | Wright brothers | 1903 | First powered, controlled flight | Museum | |
 | AEA Silver Dart | Aerial Experiment Association | 1908 | Early aviation pioneer | Replica | |
 | Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis“Spirit of St. Louis” | Ryan Airlines | 1927 | Long-distance record aircraft | Museum | |
 | Heinkel He 178 | Heinkel | 1939 | Jet engine test aircraft | Destroyed | |
 | Gloster E.28/39 Whittle | Gloster | 1941 | Jet engine test aircraft | Museum | |
| Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe“Swalbe” | Messerschmitt Me-262 | Messerschmitt | 1942 | Jet fighter | Museum | |
 | Horten Ho 229 | Horten brothers / Gothaer Waggonfabrik | 1945 | Jet-powered flying wing | Museum | |
 | Bell X-1“Glamorous Glennis” | X-1 | Bell Aircraft | 1946 | Supersonic research | Museum |
 | North American F-86 Sabre | North American Aviation | 1947 | Swept-wing jet fighter | Retired | |
 | Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15UTI | Mikoyan-Gurevich | 1947 | Jet fighter / two-seat trainer | Retired | |
 | North American X-15 | X-15 | North American Aviation | 1959 | Hypersonic research | Museum |
 | NF-16D / X-62A VISTA | X-62A | General Dynamics / Lockheed Martin | 1992 | Variable-stability test aircraft | Flying |
 | Stratolaunch Roc | Scaled Composites / Stratolaunch | 2019 | Air-launch carrier aircraft | Flying | |
| Boom XB-1 Baby Boom | XB-1 | Boom Supersonic | 2024 | Supersonic demonstrator | ||
 | Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST | X-59 | Lockheed Martin Skunk Works | Quiet supersonic research | Flight testing | |
 | Aurora X-65 CRANE | X-65 | Aurora Flight Sciences | Active flow control research | In development | |
| Hermeus Darkhorse | Hermeus | Hypersonic aircraft | In development | |||
| REGENT Viceroy | REGENT | Electric seaglider | In development | |||
 | Anduril YFQ-44A Fury | YFQ-44A | Anduril Industries | Collaborative Combat Aircraft (uncrewed) | Flight testing |
No aircraft found.