Jun 202012
A poorly reproduced copy of a photo of a NACA-Lewis concept model of a high-altitude supersonic interceptor, circa 1955. Little data is available, apart from the engines having 55% of the weight of the craft, with the rest composed of structure and payload… almost no fuel. Makes an interesting comparison to the Lockheed “Suntan.”
With the engines being more than half the weight and having almost no fuel to speak of, this would not get up to Mach 2.5 or 90,000 ft.
At least Suntan evolved into something great.
Looks like Suntan and many other grainy images of NACA concepts for JP-5 and hydrogen fueled “high speed and altitude interceptors.” Date seems about right for early concepts leading to the SR-71.
Other work on the Lockheed side turns up early concepts that look like this as well as hydrogen, conventional and boron fueled designs.
Since U-2 and other recon platforms were “black” projects until the Powers U-2 loss in 1960, it makes sense to disguise the research as interceptor research, a well established Air Force need at the time.
There is a lot of recently declassified NACA data regarding projects like this that will likely fill in some of the blanks. Happy Hunting!