Loose Cannon is proud to preserve the USA's military history via its unique DVD film collections. Using a combination of U.S. Dept. of Defense archive films, combat footage, and period newsreels of the time, each film features actual wartime footage and or first-person accounts from those that were there.

The North American X-15 is a hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft operated by the United States Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (better known as NASA) as part of the X-plane series of experimental aircraft. The X-15 set speed and altitude records in the 1960s, crossing the edge of outer space and returning with valuable data used in aircraft and spacecraft design. The X-15's highest speed, 4,520 miles per hour (7,274 km/h; 2,021 m/s), was achieved on 3 October 1967, when William J. Knight flew at Mach 6.7 at an altitude of 102,100 feet (31,120 m), or 19.34 miles. This set the official world record for the highest speed ever recorded by a crewed, powered aircraft, which remains unbroken.

During the ten year X-15 program, 12 pilots flew 3 planes for a combined 199 flights. Of these, 8 pilots flew a combined 13 flights which met the Air Force spaceflight criterion by exceeding the altitude of 50 miles (80 km), thus qualifying these pilots as being astronauts. Lessons learned and data from the program laid the ground work for the design/development of the NASA Space Shuttle.

This DVD contains the following EIGHT movies:

- 1959 Air Force News Review
Film shows one of the early X-15 flights, in color. (2.5 min)

- 1960 U.S. AIR FORCE NEWS REVIEW
Shows numerous Air Force systems and research programs, including X-15 ROCKET PLANE, PROJECT EXCELSIOR, CORONA PROGRAM, U-2 and more. (25 min)

- Aeronautics & Space Highlights 1968
This recap of the year 1968 shows testing of lifting bodies including the HL-10, tests of the X-15 and its retirement, the XB-70 program. (1.6 min)

- The X-15 (NASA)
Short overview film by NASA of the twenty year test history of the X-15 rocket plane. Includes interesting pilot commentaries. (4.5 min)

- Research Project X-15
More in depth film on the X-15 project from 1962. Illustrates the unique design engineering, special features/controls and mission profiles. Also briely shows X-1, X-1A, and X-2, X-4, X-3, and X-5. (27 min)

- X-15, Man into Space
This film discusses the purpose and goals of the X-15 hypersonic aircraft research program. It profiles a typical X-15 mission, with particular emphasis on the recording and analysis of computerized flight data. (8 min)

- Mud lake crash
NASA Flight footage of one of the X-15 crashes, the Mud Lake crash landing Nov. 9 1962. (1.5 min)

- Misc. footage
Chase plane and other footage of X-15 flight tests. (2.4 min)