Grumman X-29 – Warbird Wednesday Episode #123

Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are paying a special visit to an experimental aircraft with a very unique look, the Grumman X-29. This aircraft was designed to test aerodynamics; most will notice the forward-swept wings, canard control surfaces, amongst other distinctive features. Composite materials, such as graphite epoxy and carbon-fiber, were used to control the aeroelastic divergent twisting wings and to reduce weight. The Grumman X-29 flew from 1984 to 1991, achieving its goal speed of Mach 1.6, which made it the first forward-swept wing aircraft to fly at supersonic speed.