Scaled Composites White Knight (Paperback)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Scaled Composites Model 318 White Knight is a jet-powered carrier aircraft used to launch the SpaceShipOne experimental spacecraft. It was developed by Scaled Composites as part of their Tier One program. The aircraft is subsequently being offered by Scaled on a contract basis as a research testbed, and was also used for drop tests of the Boeing X-37 spaceplane from June 2005 until April 2006.The White Knight carrier airplane was designed around the twin afterburning J-85 engines, which were selected for their availability and low cost.