In the 1960s and 70s, the swing-wing was the  design of choice for strategic bombing and  

attack aircraft, where the future of advanced  high-speed flight incorporated the 'Swing-Wing'  

capability to streamline aircraft further. The  term "swing-wing" is an airplane wing, or set of  

wings, that may be swept back and then returned  to its original straight position during flight.  

It allows the aircraft's shape to be  modified in flight, and is therefore  

an example of a variable-geometry aircraft. Today we are going to discuss 10 of the Most  

Awesome Swing-Wing Aircraft Ever Built. Let’s check it out! 

At number 1 we have Bell X-5 The X-5 was an experimental single-seat,  

single-engine, jet-powered fighter design  prototype produced by the Bell Aircraft company  

and became the first aircraft to make  use of in-flight variable geometry wings.  

Its roots originated in the German Messerschmitt  Me P.1101 of which the X-5 borrowed heavily from  

in terms of the overall design. Only two X-5  prototypes were ever produced with the second  

being lost to accident. The X-5 program  was being considered for an American/NATO  

low-cost tactical fighter initiative. The two aircraft made their first flights on  

20 June and 10 December 1951. Almost 200 flights  were made at speeds up to Mach 0.9 and altitudes  

of 40,000 ft. One aircraft was lost on 14 October  1953, when it failed to recover from a spin  

at 60° sweepback. Air Force Captain Ray Popson  died in the crash at Edwards Air Force Base.  

The other X-5 remained at Edwards and continued  active testing until 1955, and remained in  

service as a chase plane until 1958. #2. General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark 

The Aardvark was the first variable-sweep aircraft  to enter production, and the wings could sweep  

from 16 degrees to 72.5 degrees. But a swing-wing  wasn't the only pioneering technology on this jet.  

It also paved the way for terrain-following radar,  making it capable of high-speed, low-level flight. 

The F-111 Aardvark swing-wing  bomber was introduced in 1967  

and retired in 1996 from active service with the  United States Air Force followed shortly by its  

counterpart the EF-111 Raven. #3. Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 Flogger was the first  Soviet aircraft to feature variable sweep wings  

and paved the way for the equally successful  MiG-27 Flogger ground strike variant. Also,  

it was the Soviet Union's first jet  equipped with look-down or shoot-down radar,  

as well as the first to have side-mounted  air intakes. The MiG-23 was first officially  

commissioned into the Soviet Air Forces on  4 January 1974 and it was retired in 1998.

#4. Panavia Tornado The Tornado is one of the most  

recognizable swing-wing aircraft. The Tornado  has another rare feature of fighter aircraft  

which is thrust reversers. The reversers  were put on to increase STOL capability.  

The Tornado is also a family of twin-engine,  variable-sweep wing multirole combat aircraft,  

jointly developed and manufactured by  Italy, the United Kingdom and West Germany. 

The Panavia Tornado was developed and built  by Panavia Aircraft GmbH, a tri-national  

consortium consisting of British Aerospace,  MBB of West Germany, and Aeritalia of Italy.  

It first flew on 14 August 1974 and was  introduced into service in 1979–1980. 

#5. Sukhoi Su-24 The Sukhoi Su-24 "Fencer" was the Soviet  

answer to the American General Dynamics F-111  Aardvark. The Soviet design was no doubt inspired  

by the impressive and powerful "swing-wing"  American design and attempted to follow suit  

with an equally capable mount worthy of her Soviet  airmen. After some 35+ years of active service,  

the end is near for the impressive Fencer,  gradually outdated in many facets of her makeup. 

In all, approximately 1,400  Su-24s have been produced by  

Sukhoi OKB in three distinct operational variants  and delivered to a handful of foreign operators. 

#6. Rockwell B-1B Lancer It's the only active swing-wing  

aircraft in the US Air Force, and it packs a  punch. This Mach 1.25 bomber can carry 125,000  

pounds of payload. And with over 120,000  pounds of thrust, it can get places quickly. 

The B-1 was first used in combat in support of  operations in Iraq during Operation Desert Fox  

in December 1998, employing unguided GP weapons.  B-1s have been subsequently used in Operation  

Allied Force (Kosovo) and, most notably, in  Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan  

and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. #7. Tupolev Tu-160 

Since its inception, the Tupolev-produced  by Tu-160 has been the largest jet-powered,  

swing-wing combat aircraft platform ever produced,  mounting the most powerful jet engines fitted to  

any military aircraft. Developed as a direct  counter-product to the United States Air Force's  

Rockwell B-1 "Lancer" strategic bomber, the Tu-160  was designed to fulfill the slightly different  

role of stand-off missile launching. In contrast,  the B-1 served primarily to deliver large amounts  

of precision munitions in the form of cruise  missiles and other potent air-to-surface types. 

In April 1987, the Tu-160 entered  operational service with the 184th  

Guards Heavy Bomber Regiment located  at Pryluky Air Base, Ukrainian SSR.

#8. Tu-22M 

The Tupolev Tu-22M Backfire is a supersonic,  swing-wing development related to the original  

1960s-era Tu-22 Blinder Medium Bomber. It is a  dedicated strategic bombing and maritime strike  

platform primarily serving Soviet interests  (both during the Cold War and even today). 

The Tu-22M represented a further evolution  of the original Tu-22 "Blinder" which failed  

to impress along many lines. However, the  Tu-22M incorporated enough major changes  

that it could be considered an "all-new"  bomber aircraft and brought about improved  

use of missile armament and supersonic flight  as well as introducing variable geometry wings. 

#9. Su-17 The Mach 2-capable Sukhoi Su-17  

"Fitter" was a further development of the  successful Su-7 "Fitter-A" fighter-bomber  

family line detailed elsewhere on this site.  The aircraft incorporated a partial variable  

geometry wing ("swing-wing") system and improved  upon the former's take-off and landing attributes  

as well as performance at the low level as  required of it during ground attack runs. 

The Su-17 was developed into the export Su-20  and Su-22 Fitter models of varying avionics,  

engines and weapons. In all, some 2,867  Su-17/Su-20/Su-22 Fitters were produced  

with almost half of these made available to  Soviet export customers. Also over a dozen  

nations took delivery of the type, making it a  staple fighter-bomber throughout the Cold War. 

And at number 10 we have Grumman F-14 Tomcat It becomes one of the most impressive Navy  

aircraft to ever fly, the F-14 could reach speeds  of Mach 2.34, had over 54,000 pounds of thrust,  

and starred in the best aviation movie ever  made. The F-14 was designed from the outset as a  

carrier-based fighter, unlike the F-111B which was  born from a land-based fighter-bomber airframe.  

The F-14 however, retains many of the qualities  and components inherent in the F-111B such as the  

"swing-wing", variable geometry wing assemblies,  radar system with long-range missile support,  

two-man crew, and twin-engine layout. Total F-14 production by Grumman yielded 712  

aircraft and these were manufactured from the  period of 1969 to 1991. Non-combat attrition  

proved relatively high for the series in that some  160 were lost in accidents alone. Many preserved  

F-14 Tomcats are showcased at outdoor and  indoor displays across the United States today. 

Thanks for watching and  see you in the next videos.