Yesterday a Cuban pilot defected to the US in a AN-2 converted to a crop duster.7mo ⋅ kegman83 ⋅ r/WeirdWings
F/A-18 HARV (High Alpha Research Vehicle) with extended nose fitted with actuated nose brakes for precise yaw control at high AoA.1yr ⋅ dartmaster666 ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Martin-Baker's Swing-Arm Escape Concept - Who needs an ejection seat when you have an ejection YEET?2yr ⋅ JeantheDragon ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Boeing’s 757-FTB Catfish testbed, used for testing of new F-22 softwares1mo ⋅ avravalleyaviation1 ⋅ r/WeirdWings
The Boeing Bird of Prey, or YF-118G, was a trailblazing stealth aircraft secretly developed by the US military between 1992 to 1999 at Area 51. Its extraterrestrial appearance would no doubt be responsible for a large amount of UFO sightings occurring at the time.9mo ⋅ EnaGrimm ⋅ r/WeirdWings
The future is only going to get weirder: An unmanned XQ-58A Valkyrie launches an ALTIUS-600 drone -- U.S. Air Force photo taken about two weeks ago2yr ⋅ Marc_Sasaki ⋅ r/WeirdWings
de Havilland Sea Vampire makes a wheels-up landing on a flexible deck installed on HMS Warrior in late 19481yr ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Aviation Partners testing blended winglets on a 747-200 in 2000. The winglets were 14ft 6in and offered 6-7% fuel savings but never came to commercial fruition mainly due to high costs.5mo ⋅ _SP3CT3R ⋅ r/WeirdWings
The U.S. Air Force Convair XC-99. Only one was built. Too bad :(6mo ⋅ leaningtoweravenger ⋅ r/WeirdWings
The Kamov Ka-226 has a removable cabin that can be swapped out for different missions: MEDEVAC, VIP transport etc.2yr ⋅ casualphilosopher1 ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Boeing YC-14 prototype shows off its STOL capabilities from an unprepared field2yr ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Kalinin K-7 – early 1930s, this thing actually flew 7 times before a fatal crash and its cancellation.6mo ⋅ bilaskoda ⋅ r/WeirdWings
British Aerospace Nimrod AEW3 Airborne Early Warning Aircraft3wk ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Team NL's entry for the upcoming Air Race E championship. All-electric twin motor with counter-rotating propellers2yr ⋅ Brutal_Deluxe_ ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Bernard 82. It had a range of 2800 kilometres (in 1933)! The retractable landing gear regularly failed; resulting in wheels-up landings. Only 2 built.8mo ⋅ bilaskoda ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Meet the Sky Warden - The Crop Duster That's Just Been Drafted into the Air Force10mo ⋅ Hocotate_Freight_PR ⋅ r/WeirdWings
The beautifully original F-16XL. Unfortunately it went nowhere and the USAF choose the F-15 instead7mo ⋅ leaningtoweravenger ⋅ r/WeirdWings
30mm GAU-8/A installation on the first Fairchild YA-10 prototype in 197411mo ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Extremely rare footage of Boeing JB-52E (serial number 56-0636) used as a testbed for Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines, which would be used in the Boeing 747-100, which was in final stages of development.1yr ⋅ dartmaster666 ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Convair R3Y-2 Tradewind dumps its load directly on the beach2yr ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Boeing RA001 aka KC-747, the world's largest aerial refueling tanker. 2 were built, of which 1 is with the Iranian Air Force.1yr ⋅ casualphilosopher1 ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Someone in Libya built a Mig-23 out of parts from 3 different airframes.4yr ⋅ kegman83 ⋅ r/WeirdWings
for anyone interested the B-21 Raider unveiling is today the replacement for the B-2 and B-1 possibly B-526mo ⋅ usefulrustychain ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Mi-24 done up as a USCG SAR helicopter for the Russian film “Charged with Death”2yr ⋅ Hyperi0us ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Lockheed’s optical turret in the Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser in a 747-400F2mo ⋅ Evercrimson ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Heinkel He 112 during trials with liquid fuel rocket propulsion1yr ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WeirdWings
The MiG-21MF “Bunny Fighter,” a brightly-painted ex-Czech Fishbed operated by the D.R. Congo in the ‘90s. A Ukrainian mercenary scored three kills against Angolan jets while flying this thing.2yr ⋅ random_nohbdy ⋅ r/WeirdWings
The YB-49 first flew on October 22, 1947. It must have looked like a UFO back then7mo ⋅ leaningtoweravenger ⋅ r/WeirdWings
This is how you make one of the weirdest of wings, putting the space shuttle on the back of a 747.4mo ⋅ SuperMcG ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Northrop Grumman YF-23. One of the most menacing silhouettes to take flight1yr ⋅ SeagullOfVarna ⋅ r/WeirdWings
SAAB 210A or “Lilldraken”, a testbed of the double delta configuration of the J-35 Draken.3wk ⋅ ca_fighterace ⋅ r/WeirdWings
This odd little creation I saw at the Udvar Hazy Center reminded me of here. Once the smallest functional aircraft ever built.7mo ⋅ charons-ferry ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Lockheed L-133 - America's exotic first attempt at jet fighter design (1939)3yr ⋅ _Muad_Dib ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Sikorsky Rotor Systems Research Aircraft (RSRA), serial 72-001 NASA 740, on Fixed Wing Ferry Flight from NASA Dryden at Edwards Air Force Base. NASA/Roger Brimmer (1984)11mo ⋅ JoukovDefiant ⋅ r/WeirdWings
PZL M-15 Blephegor spotted today while waiting in a queue for my covid test. This is one awesomely ugly mofo1yr ⋅ takinie44 ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Vought F7U Cutlass tailless naval fighter landing on USS Hancock (CV-19) in late 19541yr ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WeirdWings
If Lockheed’s Skunk Works beat Northrop for the Advanced Technology Bomber contract, this would have been flying instead of the B-2A Spirit3mo ⋅ SMS_VonDerTann ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Falcon 20 afterburner engine testbed. The first and only time a business jet was equipped with an afterburner. (Ca. 1988)3yr ⋅ NinetiethPercentile ⋅ r/WeirdWings
The Lockheed Martin C-3, a proposal for a Carrier onboard delivery (COD) aircraft for the US Navy, based on the S-3 Viking10mo ⋅ casualphilosopher1 ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Fairey Gannet AEW.3 A variant of the Fairey Gannet anti-submarine warfare aircraft used in the airborne early warning (AEW) role on aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy.9mo ⋅ Aeromarine_eng ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Follow on from my previous post: The same B-52 being used as an engine testbed for the C-17s TF-39 engine.8mo ⋅ spuurd0 ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Biggest helicopter ever built, the Soviet Mil V-12 flying over East Berlin in 19711yr ⋅ DAN4O4NAD ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Irving Prue in the cockpit of his Prue 160 glider with a fuselage made from a P-38 drop tank2mo ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Second prototype Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet flying wing fighter interceptor in flight in 19442yr ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Northrop YB-35 experimental heavy bomber 42-102366 that was the only example to actually fly doing just that in 19485mo ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WeirdWings
KJ-1 is a first generation Chinese AEW radar fitted to a Tupolev Tu-4 - a copy of a B-291yr ⋅ uzov ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Dornier Do 335 heavy fighter in US markings after being captured in 19455mo ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Craig Hosking's Double Take, a Pitts S-2B modified with an additional top-mounted landing gear to allow inverted landings and takeoffs9mo ⋅ poonburglar68 ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Junkers Ju 52 Minensuch variant with a 14 meter diameter current-carrying degaussing ring under the airframe to create a magnetic field that triggered submerged naval mines1yr ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WeirdWings
MiG 105 - experimental Soviet space plane testbed, featuring variable wings, articulating skin, and an escape pod.8mo ⋅ Straight6er ⋅ r/WeirdWings
The Saab 210 Lilldraken (Small Dragon) served as a testbed for the double delta wing configuration, made famous by the later Saab J35 Draken.9mo ⋅ aDutchMaker ⋅ r/WeirdWings
First public flight of the Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne Attack Helicopter at Van Nuys Airport on December 12th 19671yr ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WeirdWings
A helicopter proposed to catch the first stage of the Saturn V for reuse.1mo ⋅ spooderman467 ⋅ r/WeirdWings
The fuselage of a Polish An-2 joined to the chassis of a KrAZ-255. There is no reason for this and it doesn’t need one. The wooden propeller was a nice touch, too.3yr ⋅ NinetiethPercentile ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Bristol Type 167 Brabazon prototype airliner with 8 Centaurus radials buried in the wings at London Heathrow in June 19501yr ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Vickers Wellington outfitted with a degaussing ring to sweep for magnetically triggered naval mines in WWII1mo ⋅ SqueakSquawk4 ⋅ r/WeirdWings
The Scaled Composites Raptor was a long-endurance UAV developed by BMDO for Raptor/Talon, an air-launched kinetic boost-phase missile defense system. Early prototypes featured a saddle with a human operator in case its autopilot failed.3wk ⋅ Sierra-2674 ⋅ r/WeirdWings
On Jun. 7, 1983 Royal Navy Sea Harrier ZA176 performed an emergency landing aboard Cargo Ship Alraigo. the ship owners then claimed the aircraft as salvage3mo ⋅ usefulrustychain ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Rutan Model 76 Voyager, the first aircraft to fly around the world without stopping or refueling.5mo ⋅ Aeromarine_eng ⋅ r/WeirdWings
NASA QRSA (Quiet Short-Haul Research Aircraft) - Instead of the standard engines, this aircraft was powered by four prototype Avco Lycoming YF102 high-bypass turbofan engines (originally from the Northrop YA-9 program) mounted above the wing to take advantage of the Coanda effect.9mo ⋅ kevin1024 ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Artist’s impression of the Avro 698 concept that helped pave the way to the Vulcan1mo ⋅ neckmeister ⋅ r/WeirdWings
USAF F-100D Super Sabre undergoing Zero-Length Launch trials in 19591yr ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Two Avro Type 698 (Vulcan prototype) and four Avro Type 707 (delta wing test aircraft) flying formation6mo ⋅ kumisz ⋅ r/WeirdWings
The Convair B-58 Hustler, without its central pod, resembles a bug with lengthy legs.10mo ⋅ EnaGrimm ⋅ r/WeirdWings
1987 Colani high-altitude surveillance design study -- named Global Endurance Solar Powered Stereo Photo 30m Base High Altitude Surveillance Platform4mo ⋅ Vecna_Is_My_Co-Pilot ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Cessna's only heliocoptor, the CH-1 Skyhook helicopter CF-OHE at Malton Airport, Toronto, c1965.2wk ⋅ MyDogGoldi ⋅ r/WeirdWings
1970s Indian air force elephant helicopters for ceremonial flyovers1yr ⋅ lesserofthreeevils ⋅ r/WeirdWings
NASA's F/A-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle, also known as the Silk Purse, performs a thrust vectoring test with afterburners in 1991, while anchored to the ground.2mo ⋅ Aeromarine_eng ⋅ r/WeirdWings
General Dynamics–Boeing AFTI/F-111A Aardvark Mission Adaptive Wing testbed in flight in the 1980s1mo ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WeirdWings
An unusual view of NASA's Super Guppy -- The last Super Guppy still in service2yr ⋅ Marc_Sasaki ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Autogyro target drone simulating a Soviet Hind helicopter for infantry training at Quantico in 19865mo ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WeirdWings
Proposed gunship variant of the Bell D-327 V/HXM to provide armed escort and fire support in 19805mo ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WeirdWings
