Lexington Park in St. Mary's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Boeing X-32B JSF Demonstrator
Almost the Joint Strike Fighter In 1996 the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program awarded $750 million contracts to both Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Each contractor was to design and build two JSF demonstrators to compare different propulsion concepts. One aircraft was to feature conventional takeoff and landing for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy. The other was to demonstrate the Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing (STOVL) capability needed by the U.S. Marine Corps. Boeing's conventional demonstrator was designated X-32A; its STOVL aircraft was the X-32B. In 2000 and 2001, Boeing's X-32s and Lockheed's demonstrators (the X-35A and X-35B) were evaluated in flight trials at Edwards AFB and NAS Patuxent River. Neither competing design had weapons capability or low-observable (stealth) provisions. Lockheed's concept was ultimately chosen for further development and was awarded a contract to produce what became today's F-35.
Our Display Aircraft The sole X-32B, our aircraft first flew on 29 March 2001. It was never assigned a Navy Bureau Number. After initial testing at Edwards AFB, the aircraft moved to NAS Patuxent River, where it participated in JSF flight trials between May and July 2001. In March 2005, the X-32B was transferred to PRNAM. The demonstrator had flown 78 flights and logged 43 flight hours.
Primary Mission: Stealth fighter/attack aircraft concept demonstrator
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Crew: One Pilot
Flight Demonstration Period: 2000 - 2001
Max. Gross Weight: 50,000 lb
Dimensions: 43.7 ft length, 30.0 ft wing span
Propulsion: One Pratt & Whitney F199 turbofan engine
Max Operating Speed: Mach 1.4+
Armament: None
Erected by Patuxent River Naval Air Museum.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Military. A significant historical date for this entry is March 29, 2001.
Location. 38° 16.542′ N, 76° 27.689′ W. Marker is in Lexington Park, Maryland, in St. Mary's County. It can be reached from Three Notch Road (Maryland Route 235) north of Buse Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 22156 Three Notch Road, Lexington Park MD 20653, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southern Maryland. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Mid-Atlantic, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Lockheed S-3B Viking (here, next to this marker); Grumman E-2B Hawkeye (a few steps from this marker); Grumman S-2D Tracker (within shouting distance of this marker); North American T-39D Sabreliner
Credits. This page was last revised on September 1, 2019. It was originally submitted on September 1, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 433 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 1, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
