GLL-8 (GLL-VK), nicknamed "Igla" (eng. needle), is a Russian hypersonic flight flying laboratory. It saw its first flight in 2005. It is part of Russia's ongoing ORYOL-2-1 research programme. Under ORYOL-2-1, the Gromov Flight Research Institute in Moscow has developed two possible Igla designs,^[1][2] and is leading an SSTO spaceplane effort and a two-stage-to-orbit design conceived to build a "Mir-2" space station.^[1][3][4][5]

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The purpose of this "flying laboratory" is technical data study of hypersonic speeds, which cannot be done with average engines, and other crewed experimental flight-craft. This study includes the following:

• Aerodynamic properties at hyper sonic speeds
• Maneuverability at different speeds
• G-force effects on fuselage at high speeds
• Scramjet studies^[6]