National Air and Space Museum

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M2-F3 Lifting Body

The M-2 test vehicle was used to study the behavior of wingless aircraft at speeds up to Mach 1.6 and altitudes up to 73,000 feet (22,000 meters). Air-launched from a B-52 bomber, the craft was boosted to high altitude by a rocket. This M-2 made 16 flights between July 1966 and May 1967.