Built by Lockheed Missiles and Space Company (Now Lockheed-Martin), the X-7A served as a test vehicle to develop a ramjet engine for the Boeing IM-99 Bomarc anti-aircraft missile. The first X-7 flew on April 26, 1951, near Alamogordo, New Mexico. Air launched from a B-29 bomber, the X-7 was boosed by a single aft-mounted solid booster or underway solid booster rockets. After approximately five seconds, the booster was jetisoned and the ramjet propelled the vehicle for the remainder of the flight. The missile was recovered by parachute with impact upon the long nose penetration spike, which protected the craft from serious damage. Among the records the X-7 set were: a maximum mach number of 4.31 (approximately 2,881 miles per hour), and a maximum number of flights per vehicle (13). This X-7 is one of only six still known to exist. The last X-7 flew on July 20, 1960.
