Ahh, the beautiful Douglas X-3 Stiletto. They wanted 2,000 miles per hour, but this underpowered little needle couldn't even break Mach 1.

The build started in 1949, and this one was delivered in 1952. A second plane was scrapped. It flew 51 times, but never achieved it's original goals.

That just means the engineers and designers and scientists could learn other things. X-3 test data went into the F-104 Starfighter, a successful Mach 2 fighter. And the high takeoff and landing speeds of the X3 spurred improvements in tire technology, too.

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