Most strange aircraft in the world

• The strangest airplanes in the world

It's amazing what aircraft can be assembled, putting enough effort, pure creativity and investing in the project a lot of money. Overview unusual designs of aircraft, helicopters and landing vehicles, from flying saucers to "Caspian monsters". Expensive, experimental and often never leave the ground.

Wingless. NASA Project "M2-F1" earned him the nickname "the flying bathtub." Its main purpose developers have seen in use as a capsule for landing astronauts. The first flight of this wingless aircraft was held August 16, 1963, and exactly three years later on the same day, was the last:

Remote-controlled. Since mid-1979 to January 1983 at the airbase NASA conducted tests of two remotely piloted vehicles HiMAT. Each plane was about half that size F-16 but had almost twice the superiority in maneuverability. At transonic speed of sound at an altitude of 7500 meters the device can perform the overload reversal 8 g, for comparison, F-16 fighter at the same heights only withstands overload 4, 5 g. Upon completion of studies, both machines have been preserved:

tailless. Aircraft prototype McDonell Douglas X-36 was built with one purpose: to test flying ability tailless aircraft. Was built in 1997 and planned by the developers could be controlled remotely from the ground:

crooked. Ames AD-1 (Eymes AD-1) - a pilot and the world's first aircraft with an oblique wing Ames Research Center and Burt Rutan. It was built in 1979 and first flew on 29 December of the same year. Tests were carried out before the beginning of 1982. During this time, AD-1, 17 pilots have mastered. After closing the program put the plane in San Carlos City Museum, where it remains to this day:

with rotating wings. Boeing Vertol VZ-2 - the world's first aircraft that uses the concept of a rotary wing, a vertical / short takeoff and landing. The first flight with vertical takeoff and hovering in the air was made VZ-2 in the summer of 1957. After a series of successful tests VZ-2 was submitted to the NASA research center in the early '60s:

The largest helicopter. In connection with the needs of the Soviet economy and the armed forces in the design bureau to them. Mil in 1959 began studies of superheavy helicopter. August 6, 1969 on the helicopter Mi-12 was an absolute world record lifting - 40 tons to a height of 2250 meters, not surpassed until the present time; The only helicopter-August 12 world records were established. In 1971, a helicopter-12 was successfully demonstrated at the 29th International Air Show in Paris, where he was recognized as the "star" of the salon, and then in Copenhagen and Berlin. B-12 - the most difficult and lifting helicopter ever built in the world:

A flying saucer. VZ-9-AV Avrocar - aircraft vertical takeoff and landing of the development of the Canadian company Avro Aircraft Ltd. Development of the aircraft began in 1952 in Canada. November 12, 1959 made the first flight. In 1961, the project was canceled, officially announced in connection with the impossibility of "plates" off the ground more than 1, 5 meters. Only two device "Avrokar" was built:

is strange looking. Fighter in the form of flying wing Northrop XP-79B, equipped with two jet engines, was built in 1945 by the American firm Northrop. It was assumed that he would swoop down on the enemy bombers and break them, chopping off the tail section. September 12, 1945 the aircraft made a single flight that ended in disaster after 15 minutes of flight:

The aircraft-spacecraft. Boeing X-48 (Boeing X-48) - US experimental unmanned aircraft, jointly established by Boeing and NASA agencies. The device uses one of the species of flying wing. July 20, 2007, he first rose to an altitude of 2300 meters and landed after a 31 minute flight. X-48B was the best invention in 2007 according to the Times.

Futuristic. Another project of NASA - NASA Hyper III - airplane, created in 1969:

The Flying Pancake. Experimental aircraft Vought V-173. In the 1940s, American engineer Charles Zimmerman has created a unique aircraft aerodynamic configuration, which still continues to surprise not only for its unusual appearance, but the flight characteristics. For its unique appearance, he has received numerous nicknames, among them the "Flying Pancake". It was one of the first devices of vertical / short takeoff and landing:

to come down from heaven. HL-10 - one of five aircrafts NASA Flight Research Center, used to study and test the feasibility of safe maneuvering and landing on the unit with low air quality, after his return from space:

reverse sweep. Su-47 "Berkut" - a project of the Russian carrier-based fighter, developed in OKB. Dry. Fighter aircraft has swept wing, composite materials are widely used in the airframe structure. In 1997 it was built the first flying of the Su-47, now it is experimental:

Striped. Grumman X-29 - the aircraft prototype with forward-swept wing design 1984 Grumman Aerospace Corporation (now - Northrop Grumman). Only two copies of the order of the Agency of the US Defense Advanced Research Projects was built:

Vertical soaring. LTV XC-142 - American experimental transport VTOL with swivel wing. It made its first flight 29 September 1964. Built five aircraft. The program ended in 1970. The only surviving copy of the aircraft is in the exposition of the Museum of the US Air Force:

The Caspian Monster. "KM" (Ship layout) abroad also known as "Caspian monster" - experimental WIG developed in the design office R. E. Alekseeva. The winged had wingspan 37, 6 m, a length of 92 m, a maximum take-off weight of 544 tons. Before the advent of the AN-225 "Mriya" it was the heaviest aircraft in the world. Testing "of the Caspian Monster" took place in the Caspian Sea for 15 years until 1980. In 1980, due to an error of piloting KM crashed, there were no casualties. After which recovery operations or construction of a new instance of the CM is not carried out:

Air kit. Super Guppy - transport aircraft for the transport of oversized cargo. Developer - Aero Spacelines. Released in quantities of five copies in two versions. First flight - in August 1965. The only flying "air kit" is owned and operated by NASA for the delivery of large items for the ISS:

mullet. Douglas X-3 Stiletto Stiletto - American experimental monoplane aircraft company "Douglas". In October 1952, the first airplane flight Douglas X-Z:

to reach the moon. This descent module, built in 1963, was part of the "Apollo", the purpose of which was the first manned landing on the moon. The module was equipped with a jet engine:

Rotorcraft. Sikorsky S-72 - experimental helicopter. The first flight of S-72 made 12 October 1976. The flight of the upgraded S-72 took place on December 2, 1987, but funding was discontinued after three of the following flights:

The aircraft-rocket. Ryan X-13A-RY Vertijet - experimental jet VTOL created in the US in 1950. Developer - Ryan. US Customer-Force. Only two of these aircraft were built:

The Lunar Module. Another descent module vertical takeoff and landing, built in 1964, was part of the "Apollo", the purpose of which was the first manned landing on the moon.