DRW51024 | Dragon Warbirds 1:144 | Grumman X-29 Darpa NASA Edwards Air Force Base

As part of the USA's experimental flight program, the X-29 first took to the air from Edwards Air Force Base on 14 December 1984. A total of two aircraft, based on Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighter airframes, were produced and they flew in various tests up till 1991. The Grumman X-29's key characteristics were forward-swept wings (at more than 33 angle), canard control surfaces and composite materials. The design was inherently unstable to increase its agility, so it utilized computerized fly-by-wire controls that could make 40 corrections per second while flying at a maximum speed of Mach 1.8. The carbon-fiber composite materials were necessary to manage the twisting that results from forward-swept wings. This aero-elastic divergent twisting results from aerodynamic forces that rotate the wings' leading edges upwards, and which could easily result in structural failure. Interestingly, this was only the world's second jet-powered aircraft to have forward-swept wings, the first being the Junkers Ju-287 of 1944 vintage!

This item makes use of 100% new tooling, and it accurately reproduces the sleek shape of the experimental aircraft. The forward-swept wing design, in particular, is impressive on this model. Whether shown in a display case or on a desktop, this precise model of the X-29 is a fine-looking specimen of advanced aerospace technology.