Tags: Aircraft.
The Martin Marietta X-24B was an experimental US aircraft developed from a joint USAF-NASA program named PILOT (1963–1975). It was designed and built to test lifting body concepts experimenting with the concept of unpowered reentry and landing later used by the Space Shuttle. The X-24 was drop launched from a modified B-52 Stratofortress at high altitudes before igniting its rocket engine; after expending its rocket fuel the pilot would glide the X-24 to an unpowered landing.
