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A Shock Sensing Probe, a cone-shaped aeronautical test instrument attached to the nose of the NASA F-15 aircraft.

Fact Sheets

Downloadable pdfs about the aircraft, flight test and research projects, facilities, people, and history of NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.  

Learn More About Our Center

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Overview
Programs & Projects
Aircraft
Historical

Overview

Armstrong Flight Research Center

The center is NASA’s primary center for high-risk, atmospheric flight research and test projects. FS-2021-08-001 AFRC

View/Download the pdf about Overview
Large group of people in front of a building.
NASA Armstrong group photo taken outside Building 4800 at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.
NASA

The C-20A aircraft takes off from airport runway.

Airborne Science Operations

FS-2021-08-074 AFRC

The X-56A flies over Rogers Dry Lakebed. A huge compass rose painted onto the lakebed can be seen below. Lines to the left and below the compass rose are runways.

The Lake Beds

FS-2003-11-086 DFRC

A large hanger with a split 225 X 50-foot door and metal staircases on both sides. To the right of the hangar is a smaller attached section of the structure for support staff.

Walter C. Williams Research Aircraft Integration Facility

FS-2003-10-007 DFRC

Aircraft

B200 Super King Air Research Support Aircraft

Armstrong’s Beechcraft B200 Super King Air aircraft serves as a testbed for various aeronautical research and airborne science projects. This B200 also serves as a pilot proficiency aircraft as part of NASA’s support aircraft fleet. FS-2022-11-099 AFRC

View/Download the pdf about Aircraft
NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, flew the B200 King Air in support of the Signals of Opportunity Synthetic Aperture Radar (SoOpSAR) campaign.
NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, flew the B200 King Air in support of the Signals of Opportunity Synthetic Aperture Radar (SoOpSAR) campaign on Feb. 27, 2023.
NASA/Carla Thomas

The C-20A lifting off with wheels just above the runway below.

C-20A Airborne Science Research Aircraft

FS-2022-11-089-AFRC

NASA ER-2 takes off from the Los Angeles County Airshow runway.

ER-2 High-Altitude Airborne Science Aircraft

FS-2022-11-046-AFRC

The underside of a fighter jet flying above Mojave Desert

F/A-18 Mission Support Aircraft

FS-2015-11-006-AFRC

Two jets flying in tight formation.

F/A-18 Systems Research Aircraft

FS-1998-03-039-DFRC

Top view of a jet in flight

F-15B Aeronautics Research Test Bed

FS-2015-05-055-AFRC

Two jets seen on takeoff just above the runway.

F-15 Flight Research Facility

FS-2000-02-022-DFRC

NASA’s Global Hawk 872 soars over Edwards Air Force Base.

Global Hawk High-Altitude, LongEndurance Science Aircraft

FS-2019-09-098-AFRC

The G-III aircraft in flight against a clear blue sky.

G-III Aerodynamics Research Test Bed

FS-2012-03-103-DFRC

T-34C is seen in flight with desert floor below.

T-34C Mission Support Aircraft

FS-2016-5-092-AFRC

The X-57 aircraft inside a hangar with the hangar door open.

X-57 Maxwell

FS-2019-10-109-AFRC

Programs & Projects

Commercial Supersonic Technology Project

This project focuses on sonic boom reduction methods and approaches. Its primary goal is to develop and validate tools, technologies, and concepts to overcome the barriers to practical supersonic commercial aircraft. FS-107 AFRC

View/Download the pdf about Programs & Projects
A red colorized schlieren image of a small-scale model of NASA’s X-59 aircraft.
A schlieren image of the X-59 small-scale model captured inside NASA Glenn’s 8- by- 6-foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel. These images are used to predict sonic booms and verify computer-based modeling.
NASA

Top view of an aircraft wing with fiber optic sensors attached.

Fiber Optic Sensing System

FS-2018-01-110-AFRC

Two crew beside an inflated high-altitude balloon, with a building labeled World View in the background

Flight Opportunities

FS-2019-03-102-AFRC

Rocket launches into the sky

Launch Abort System PA-1 flight test

FS-017 DFRC

Prandtl-D in flight against a light blue sky.

Prandtl-D Aircraft

FS-2016-03-106-AFRC

Schlieren image of a T-38 aircraft creating shock waves during supersonic flight.

Sonic Booms

FS-2003-11-016-DFRC

Historical

Active Aeroelastic Wing Flight Research

The center researched a high-tech adaptation of the Wright Brothers rudimentary “wingwarping” approach to aircraft flight control. FS-2005-03-061 DFRC

View/Download the pdf about Historical
First Check-Flight of F/A-18 Active Aeroelastic Wing (AAW)
How differential deflection of the inboard and outboard leading-edge flaps affected the handling qualities of this modified F/A-18A was evaluated during the first check flight in the Active Aeroelastic Wing (AAW) project at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.

Overhead view of a plane in flight, with the wing slanted diagonally.

AD-1

FS-2015-04-019-AFRC

Black and white image of a modified Van

Aerodynamic Truck Studies

FS-2015-05-100-AFRC

Altair Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Altair

FS-2014-07-073-AFRC

Space Shuttle Endeavour Atop NASA's Modified Boeing 747

Armstrong’s Contributions to Spaceflight

FS-2006-11-091-DFRC

B-52 with F/A-18 Chase and X-43A Hypersonic Experimental Vehicle

B-52B 'Mothership' Launch Aircraft

FS-2004-12-005-DFRC

Power Beaming Flight Demonstration

Beamed Laser Power

FS-2004-03-087-DFRC

Validating Centurion/Helios Prototype flying wing during a flight over the ocean.

Centurion Remotely Piloted Solar-Powered Airplane

FS-1998-10-056-DFRC

Logo for the ChemSecure project

ChemSecure

FS-2007-5-095-DFRC

CID Moments After Impact

Controlled Impact Demonstration

FS-2009-02-003-DFRC

X-5 in flight with wings swept back.

D-558-I 'Skystreaks'

FS-2003-10-036-DFRC

An aircraft, seen from below, in flight.

DC-8 Airborne Science Laboratory

FS-2024-8-050-AFRC

D-558-II Skyrocket take off using JATO assist.

Douglas D-558-II 'Skyrockets'

FS-1994-11-035-DFRC

Eclipse aircraft in flight.

Eclipse Tow Launch Demonstration Project

FS-2002-09-049-DFRC

Lifting off at the Mojave Airport

Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology

FS-2002-08-020-DFRC

The F-8 Digital Fly-By-Wire aircraft in flight.

F-8 Digital Fly-By-Wire Aircraft

FS-2002-09-024-DFRC

Vought F-8 Crusader in flight

F-8 Supercritical Wing

FS-2002-09-044-DFRC

F-16XL #1 in Flight Over Desert

F-16XL-1 Testbed Aircraft

FS-2002-09-051-DFRC

F-16XL aircraft landing, dragging a yellow parachute behind it.

F-16XL Laminar Flow Research Aircraft

FS-1994-11-023-DFRC

Flow visualization smoke marks vortex flows along the leading edge extension on an F/A-18

F-18 High Angle-of-Attack Research Vehicle

FS-2003-08-002-DFRC

Final flight of F-104G 826 in early 1994 capped 38 years of service

F-104 '826'

FS-2003-01-021-DFRC

The AeroVironment Helios high-altitude, solar-powered aircraft flies in Kauai, Hawaii

Helios Prototype Flying Wing

FS-2002-08-068-DFRC

HiMAT aircraft in flight

HiMAT (Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology)

FS-2002-06-025-DFRC

HL-10 in flight.

HL-10 Lifting Body

FS-2015-07-050-AFRC

Ikhana in flight over Mojave Desert.

Ikhana Unmanned Science and Research Aircraft System

FS-2019-04-097-AFRC

NASA's two highly modified F-15 aircraft are put through their paces during a mission over the Edwards Air Force Base.

Intelligent Flight Control System

FS-2002-09-076-DFRC

Checkflight for Aerodynamic Characteristics of SR-71 LASRE

LASRE (Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment)

FS-2002-09-043-DFRC

LLRV in flight.

Lunar Landing Research Vehicle

FS-2002-09-026-DFRC

Safety Test Lift Off

Orion Abort Flight Test

FS-2007-11-017-JSC

The Pathfinder solar-powered remotely piloted aircraft climbs to a record-setting altitude of 50,567 feet during September 11,1995 flight.

Pathfinder Solar-Powered, Remotely Piloted Flying Wing

FS-2002-04-DFRC

Perseus-B coming in for a landing.

Perseus B Remotely Piloted Aircraft

FS-1999-08-059-DFRC

Pegasus rocket mated under the wing of the B-52 mothership.

Pegasus Hypersonic Experiments

FS 1998-09-02-DFRC

Phoenix missile mounted on the centerline pylon of NASA's F-15B.

Phoenix Missile Hypersonic Testbed

FS-2007-1-093-DFRC

MD-11 aircraft in flight.

Propulsion Controlled Aircraft

FS-2005-04-041-DFRC

Proteus aircraft soaring over Las Cruces

Proteus High-Altitude Aircraft

FS-2003-03-069-DFRC

PTERA aircraft shown on the ground.

PTERA (Prototype-Technology Evaluation and Research Aircraft)

FS-2015-10-108-AFRC

Aircraft Fleet 1950s

Research Airplane Program

FS-2003-11-031-DFRC

A NASA 747 takes off with the shuttle Endeavour riding on top.

Shuttle Carrier Aircraft

FS-2014-09-013-AFRC

Landed airplane.

SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy)

FS-2012-03-096-DFRC

Helios Prototype Flying Wing

Solar-Power Research and Dryden

FS-1998-10-0054-DFRC

Spacewedge glides under a parachute

Spacewedge

FS-2002-09-045-DFRC

A large aircraft is parked under a large gantry-like steel structure that was used to hoist the shuttle orbiters off the ground.

Space Shuttle Mate-Demate Device

FS-2014-08-014-AFRC

SR-71 Blackbird

SR-71 Blackbird

FS-2008-6-030-DFRC

A building on a hill with three radars in the middle of the desert.

Test Range Support for Space Shuttle

FS-2005-08-088-DFRC

M2-F1 and M2-F2 Lifting Bodies on Ramp

The Lifting Bodies

FS-1998-05-011-DFRC

Tu-144LL Supersonic Transport

Tu-144LL Supersonic Flying Laboratory

FS-2002-09-062-DFRC

The NAVMAR Applied Sciences Corporation TigerShark, flew over Edwards Air Force Base on July 9, 2019.

Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration<br>in the National Airspace System

FS-2019-07-075-AFRC

Post-Fire Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation Collected by Ikhana

Western States Fire Mission

FS-2012-03-070-DFRC

X-1 on the Ramp with the B-29 Mothership

X-1 First Generation

FS-2003-07-0085-DFRC

X-1-2 on the Rogers Dry Lakebed

X-1 Second Generation

FS-2003-07-0082-DFRC

Jack McKay made last flight in the X-1E, the final model flown of the X-1 series. It is now on display in front of Dryden headqu

X-1E

FS-2003-07-083-DFRC

Bell X-2 Starbuster in flight.

X-2 Starbuster

FS-2003-06-0079-DFRC

Slender Fuselage and Long, Tapered Nose: X-3

X-3 Stiletto

FS-2003-06-0077-DFRC

Straight-On View of X-4 Bantam

X-4 Bantam

FS-2003-06-0078-DFRC

X-5 with Pitot-Static Probe

X-5

FS-2003-06-081-DFRC

During a preflight checkout of X-15 #3, a ground crewman writes in the frost covering its underside "250,000 OR NO ICE CREAM." M

X-15 Hypersonic Research Program

FS-2002-09-052-DFRC

X-29 Lifts Off to Begin Flight Test

X-29 Advanced Technology Demonstrator Aircraft

FS-2015-11-008-AFRC

Flying the Herbst Maneuver: X-31

X-31 Enhanced Fighter Maneuverability Demonstrator

FS-2000-02-009-DFRC

Low-Altitude Flight of X-36 Tailless Fighter Agility Research Aircraft

X-36 Tailless Fighter Agility Research Aircraft

FS-2002-09-065-DFRC

An artist's conception of the X-43A Hypersonic Experimental Vehicle in flight high above the clouds.

X-43 (Hyper-X)

FS-2006-01-118-LaRC

X-48C Hybrid - Blended Wing Body Demonstrator

X-48 Hybrid/Blended Wing Body

FS-2012-08-090-DFRC

The X-56A remotely piloted aircraft begins a research mission from NASA’s AFRC.

X-56A Multi-Utility Technology Testbed

FS-2015-08-105 AFRC

XB-70 taking off.

XB-70 Valkyrie

FS-2003-07-084-DFRC

This NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station photograph shows an aft view of the XF-92A in flight above a layer of clouds.

XF-92A

FS-2003-06-080-DFRC

YF-12 in flight

YF-12 'Blackbird'

FS-2002-09-047-DFRC

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