Reaction Motors XLR-11
Encyclopedia
The XLR11 was the first liquid-fuel
rocket engine
developed in the United States for use in aircraft. It was designed and built by Reaction Motors Inc.
, and used ethyl alcohol
and liquid oxygen
as propellants to generate a maximum thrust
of 6000 lbf (26.7 kN). Each of the four combustion chamber
s produced 1500 lbf (6.7 kN) of thrust. The engine was not throttleable
but each chamber could be turned on and off individually.
Development of the engine began in 1943. Reaction Motors called the engine "Black Betsy", though informally it was referred to as "The Belching Black Bastard". Its first official designation was the 6000C4, and it was later renamed the XLR11.
The XLR11-RM-5 engine was first used in the Bell X-1
. On October 14, 1947, the X-1 became the first aircraft to fly faster than the speed of sound
(Mach 1). The XLR11-RM-5 was also used in the X-1A and X-1B, and as a booster engine in the U.S. Navy's D-558-2 Douglas Skyrocket
turbojet (where it was designated the XLR8-RM-5).
In 1959 and 1960, while development of a more powerful engine was still underway, a pair of XLR11-RM-13's were used as an interim power plant for the initial flights of the X-15
research aircraft. These engines were boosted to 2000 lbf (8.9 kN) of thrust per chamber for a total of 16000 lbf (71.2 kN). In comparison, the idle thrust of the X-15's XLR99 engine was 15000 lbf (66.7 kN). After 24 powered flights, the XLR11 engines were replaced by the new XLR99 engine in November 1960.
The XLR11-RM-13 was also used in the Dryden
lifting bodies
, and as a booster engine in the Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor turbojet.
Liquid fuels
Liquid fuels are those combustible or energy-generating molecules that can be harnessed to create mechanical energy, usually producing kinetic energy; they also must take the shape of their container...
rocket engine
Rocket engine
A rocket engine, or simply "rocket", is a jet engineRocket Propulsion Elements; 7th edition- chapter 1 that uses only propellant mass for forming its high speed propulsive jet. Rocket engines are reaction engines and obtain thrust in accordance with Newton's third law...
developed in the United States for use in aircraft. It was designed and built by Reaction Motors Inc.
Reaction Motors
Reaction Motors Inc. was an early American maker of liquid-fueled rocket engines, located in New Jersey. RMI engines with thrust powered the Bell X-1 rocket aircraft that first broke the sound barrier in 1947, and later successors including the X-1A, X1E, and the D558-2 Douglas Skyrocket...
, and used ethyl alcohol
Ethanol
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
and liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen — abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries — is one of the physical forms of elemental oxygen.-Physical properties:...
as propellants to generate a maximum thrust
Thrust
Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton's second and third laws. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction on that system....
of 6000 lbf (26.7 kN). Each of the four combustion chamber
Combustion chamber
A combustion chamber is the part of an engine in which fuel is burned.-Internal combustion engine:The hot gases produced by the combustion occupy a far greater volume than the original fuel, thus creating an increase in pressure within the limited volume of the chamber...
s produced 1500 lbf (6.7 kN) of thrust. The engine was not throttleable
Throttle
A throttle is the mechanism by which the flow of a fluid is managed by constriction or obstruction. An engine's power can be increased or decreased by the restriction of inlet gases , but usually decreased. The term throttle has come to refer, informally and incorrectly, to any mechanism by which...
but each chamber could be turned on and off individually.
Development of the engine began in 1943. Reaction Motors called the engine "Black Betsy", though informally it was referred to as "The Belching Black Bastard". Its first official designation was the 6000C4, and it was later renamed the XLR11.
The XLR11-RM-5 engine was first used in the Bell X-1
Bell X-1
The Bell X-1, originally designated XS-1, was a joint NACA-U.S. Army/US Air Force supersonic research project built by Bell Aircraft. Conceived in 1944 and designed and built over 1945, it eventually reached nearly 1,000 mph in 1948...
. On October 14, 1947, the X-1 became the first aircraft to fly faster than the speed of sound
Speed of sound
The speed of sound is the distance travelled during a unit of time by a sound wave propagating through an elastic medium. In dry air at , the speed of sound is . This is , or about one kilometer in three seconds or approximately one mile in five seconds....
(Mach 1). The XLR11-RM-5 was also used in the X-1A and X-1B, and as a booster engine in the U.S. Navy's D-558-2 Douglas Skyrocket
Douglas Skyrocket
The Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket was a rocket and jet-powered supersonic research aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the United States Navy...
turbojet (where it was designated the XLR8-RM-5).
In 1959 and 1960, while development of a more powerful engine was still underway, a pair of XLR11-RM-13's were used as an interim power plant for the initial flights of the X-15
North American X-15
The North American X-15 rocket-powered aircraft/spaceplane was part of the X-series of experimental aircraft, initiated with the Bell X-1, that were made for the USAAF/USAF, NACA/NASA, and the USN. The X-15 set speed and altitude records in the early 1960s, reaching the edge of outer space and...
research aircraft. These engines were boosted to 2000 lbf (8.9 kN) of thrust per chamber for a total of 16000 lbf (71.2 kN). In comparison, the idle thrust of the X-15's XLR99 engine was 15000 lbf (66.7 kN). After 24 powered flights, the XLR11 engines were replaced by the new XLR99 engine in November 1960.
The XLR11-RM-13 was also used in the Dryden
Dryden Flight Research Center
The Dryden Flight Research Center , located inside Edwards Air Force Base, is an aeronautical research center operated by NASA. On March 26, 1976 it was named in honor of the late Hugh L. Dryden, a prominent aeronautical engineer who at the time of his death in 1965 was NASA's deputy administrator...
lifting bodies
Lifting body
A lifting body is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration in which the body itself produces lift. In contrast to a flying wing, which is a wing with minimal or no conventional fuselage, a lifting body can be thought of as a fuselage with little or no conventional wing...
, and as a booster engine in the Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor turbojet.
See also
- Northrop M2-F2Northrop M2-F2|-See also:-External links:***** of Peterson's crash...
- Northrop M2-F3Northrop M2-F3The Northrop M2-F3 was a heavyweight lifting body rebuilt from the Northrop M2-F2 after it crashed at the Dryden Flight Research Center in 1967. It was modified with an additional third vertical fin - centered between the tip fins - to improve control characteristics...
- Northrop HL-10Northrop HL-10The Northrop HL-10 was one of five heavyweight lifting body designs flown at NASA's Flight Research Center , Edwards, California, from July 1966 to November 1975 to study and validate the concept of safely maneuvering and landing a low lift-over-drag vehicle designed for reentry from space...
- Martin Marietta X-24A
- Martin Marietta X-24BMartin Marietta X-24B|-See also:-References:Miller, Jay. The X-Planes: X-1 to X-45. Hinckley, UK: Midland, 2001.Rose, Bill, 2008. Secret Projects: Military Space Technology. Hinckley, England: Midland Publishing.-External links:* * at Encyclopedia Astronautica...
External links
- XLR-11 Rocket National Museum of the United States Air ForceNational Museum of the United States Air ForceThe National Museum of the United States Air Force is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display...
- Dryden Flight Research Center
- X-Planes at Edwards AFB