EC97-44238-02 The X-36 was a 28-percent subscale prototype of a theoretical advanced fighter aircraft designed to fly without the traditional tail surfaces common on most aircraft. Two X-36 aircraft were built by McDonnell Douglas, Phantom Works division in a cooperative agreement with NASA's Ames Research Center. Thirty-one successful research flights were flown at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center during 1997 from this remote cockpit. NASA Photo / Jim Ross› X-36 Project Description