Hyper III
This massive lifting body drone, built at the NASA Flight Research Center in 1969, was far beyond its time. Most of the early technology involved is just now coming to fruition. The Hyper III was the pinnacle of the M2 lifting body program and equipped with a flat bottom and sides, as well as a simple straight wing with no control surfaces. The concept simulated a pop-out wing that had been proposed for a space traveling re-entry vehicle. The Hyper III’s only control surfaces were a pair of fins with rudders canted at 40°, which also had hinged elevators on the horizontal surface. The Hyper III’s first and only flight took place on 12 December 1969, when it was launched from a helicopter at 10,000 feet. The aircraft glided 5 km, turned and then flew back before landing. After the three-minute flight, it was never flown again for budgetary reasons.