Boeing X-32A Video/Photo Shoot(NMUSAF Dec 2023)

Video and photos of the completed three month restoration and photos prior to the restoration process here at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton Ohio.
The Boeing X-32 was a multi-purpose jet fighter in the Joint Strike Fighter contest. It lost to the Lockheed Martin X-35 demonstrator, which was further developed into the F-35 Lightning II. In September 2000 the X-32A made its first flight, and it made a total of 66 flights during four months of testing. The flights demonstrated the aircraft's handling qualities for inflight refueling, weapons bay operations and supersonic flight. The aircraft was moved to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in 2005.

[@corystansbury]

Whoever is tasked with "beauty shots" is about to be in the fight for their life

[@Shaun_Jones]

People always talk about the air intake, but the thing that gets me is those wings. This plane has quite possibly the most repulsive top-down profile of anything that has ever flown.

[@smc9108]

The happiest plane in the hangar😀

[@AmericanTacticalFighter]

The Boeing X-32 is a concept demonstrator aircraft that was designed for the Joint Strike Fighter competition. It lost to the Lockheed Martin X-35 demonstrator, which was further developed into the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.

[@i-love-space390]

Those museum guys do an incredible job. It is the best military air museum in the WORLD by a mile. 5 huge hangars with hundreds, maybe even thousands of aircraft, missiles, and atomic bombs. Many are one of a kind, like the XB-70, and many are just 2 of a kind, like the YF-23. You need to spend at minimum 3 days to see it all. Much better than the Smithsonian. Go, see, contribute! The X-32 aircraft looks best when viewed from above obliquely. From below it looks like a giant manta with a huge mouth. If the F-35 is nicknamed the "Battle Penguin", I would call this the "Killer Grouper".

[@omarnasr418]

I immigrated to the states 3 weeks ago and one of the things I wanted to do was go here! Well today that dream came true and i got to visit the museum and walk around….i have never been to a museum or seen an aircraft (except the commercial one i came in here) but my goodness what i saw there is a dream I’ve watched many videos on youtube about aviation and fighter jets and others but never thought i would see them…. The XB 70 valkyrie is a sight to be hold incredibly huge in person. The F22 raptor is beautiful didn’t expect to see it there . And i saw the YF 23 which i love and clearly didn’t expect to see. And the history is something wow from WWII to everything else what an amazing place

[@pauljensen5699]

The music is a perfect fit for this complex plane. Thank you.

[@USAFmuseum]

Thanks so much for viewing and for your comment Paul!!!

[@f4cphantom2]

Thank you for the cockpit photo! Even though it's bare, it's still cool to see it.

[@frankducett9]

Amazing job of restoration prep for display. Thank yous.

[@RightClickGamers]

Ah! I love her! Look at that smile! just happy to be there! Beautiful!

[@LINJ638]

Happy as it can ever be.

[@DarrenB988]

What a fantastic job 👏👏👏👏

[@haroldmclean3755]

SHARP 🔷👍

[@JazzJaRa]

Damn i really loved this jet....this delta design had something very unique to it.

[@JamesGravesJr]

Great job guys! It is definitely looking museum-worthy now with the new decals. Will one of the weapons bays be open when it is on display?

[@Primus54]

That’s a face only a mother could love.

[@SmedleyDouwright]

It is dark, but it looks like the engine fan is visible through the air inlet. I though a significant part of aircraft stealth was to hide the engine?

[@jimheimerl1637]

Yeah, that's a pretty jarring sight. I know that the front movable chin was redesigned at some point, and figured full compresor face masking would be part of further development.

[@ConnectionSpaceReal]

Looks amazing, when do you think it’ll be in the museum?

[@batshitmasterplan]

Battle of the X-Planes at least got some airborne shots

[@ThisGuyAd.]

Turns out Durpy Shark was the most aerodynamic shape 😂

[@LINJ638]

That looks like something came out of the movie.

[@MrRoblox1377]

Please tell me she's going next to the F-22

[@USAFmuseum]

Plans are still pending but most likely R&D.

[@terryboyer1342]

Beauty shots. Hilarious!

[@TheRichMarion]

Whoever had the task of making this jet look palatable to onlookers failed miserably. I can’t imagine nobody at Boeing raised concerns about the X-32 looking like a mutant pelican.

[@texleeger8973]

Performance trumps pulchritude. Re FW 190D-13/R11. Also P-61C.

[@jimheimerl1637]

@@texleeger8973 Sorry, man, the examples you note are beautiful to my engineering eye. But I agree - beauty is in the eye of the beer holder. The JSF is supposed to destroy the enemy, not look good in a calendar. Function always trumps form, or at least it should, in military projects. The X-32 had issues (pop stall was the biggie), but they could have been surmounted if given the same amount of development time as the X-35/F-35. The Piaggio P.180 Avanti is the most beautiful aircraft ever made... *covers head and runs*

[@rhensontollhouse]

Piaggio P180 must be the plane that took off just ahead of my Grumman Tiger in 2008 at John Wayne Airport in Southern California. Awesome gorgeous aircraft, like nothing else. I want one. 😊

[@jimheimerl1637]

@@rhensontollhouse And they have a very distinctive sound when you hear one from the ground. Gorgeous, gorgeous design.

[@kingposeidon9362]

Boeing was designing an aircraft to go to war, not to go to the senior prom.

[@richarddavidspano9856]

What?? No In-Flight video😢?

[@LINJ638]

Can't fly. Comprende????

[@robertjames7160]

Steve Austin has been resurrected?

[@r3claim3r]

How to make it cute: Paint it pear green, put a couple of short horns on top of the canopy and call it Mach Wazawski.

[@JustinQuirk-ky4yz]

Looks like a pregnant F22