page_title: Boeing X-48
section_title: Operational history
hierarchical_section_title: Boeing X-48 / Operational history
caption_attribution_description: English: The X-48B during its first flight.
context_page_description: The Boeing X-48 is an American experimental unmanned aerial vehicle built to investigate the characteristics of blended wing body aircraft. Boeing designed the X-48 and two examples were built by Cranfield Aerospace in the UK. Boeing began flight testing the X-48B version for NASA in 2007. The X-48B was later modified into the X-48C version, which was flight tested from August 2012 to April 2013. Boeing and NASA plan to develop a larger BWB demonstrator.
context_section_description: The X-48B first flew on July 20, 2007, reaching an altitude of 7,500 ft (2,286 m); the flight lasting 31 minutes.  The remotely piloted aircraft was successfully stalled for the first time on September 4, 2008, with fixed leading edge slats, a forward center of gravity, and 23-degree angle of attack (2° beyond the maximum coefficient of lift).  Stall testing was repeated on September 11 with a NASA pilot at the console.
  On March 19, 2010, NASA and Boeing successfully completed the initial flight testing phase of the X-48B. Fay Collier, manager of the ERA Project in NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate commented on the completion of the first phase of testing saying, "This project is a huge success. Bottom line: the team has proven the ability to fly tailless aircraft to the edge of the low-speed envelope safely."
  Following the installation of a new flight computer in 2010, the X-48B was to continue a new phase of flight tests to investigate controllability aspects.  The second phase of flight tests with the X-48B began in September 2010.
  The X-48C first flew on August 7, 2012. Engine yaw control was among the aspects to be studied.  The X-48C completed its 8-month flight test program with its 30th flight on 9 April 2013.
caption: X-48B on its first flight
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