Hughes XF-11

The Hughes XF-11 was a prototype twin‑engine, high‑altitude reconnaissance aircraft built by the Hughes Aircraft Company in the early 1940s. Designed to meet a United States Army Air Forces requirement for a long‑range photographic platform, the aircraft combined a pressurised cabin, large camera bays and a sleek, laminar‑flow wing. Two Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Majors powered the XF-11, giving it a maximum speed of roughly 460 mph and a service ceiling above 30,000 feet, enabling it to fly above most enemy fighters and anti‑aircraft fire. Only two airframes were completed. The first, serial 41‑24076, was flown by Howard Hughes himself on a celebrated 1946 test flight that ended in a crash landing at Los Angeles International Airport; the incident received widespread media attention and highlighted both the aircraft’s advanced systems and its handling challenges. The second aircraft never flew. Although the XF-11 never entered production, its innovative features—pressurised crew compartments, advanced photographic equipment, and the first use of the massive R‑4360 engine on a twin‑propeller design—laid groundwork for later reconnaissance platforms such as the Lockheed U‑2. The program also demonstrated the potential of integrating high‑performance powerplants with sophisticated surveillance payloads, influencing post‑war aerial intelligence development.

Hughes Aircraft Company

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