APR V3N4 previews

bomber, Dyna Soar, fighter, hypersonic, space shuttle, space station, spacecraft, spaceplane, VTOL No Responses »

Jun 082014

I’m getting close to being done with this one. The main article, clearly, is the one on the Model 2050E Dyna Soar, the second far smaller article is on the McDonnell F-4(FVS) and derivatives, the third is the old Bill Slayton CL-295 article from the original version of APR. There will be a few more small pieces, not shown here.

Issue V3N5 will almost certainly be smaller than this. Apart from the Lunar Gemini article, it will likely be composed of a number of all-new smaller articles. I’d like to move forward a short article from further down the run to this one, due to having some new info, but that info is embargoed by the source till later in the year. It’d be nice to get back on the two-month schedule for APR, but I wouldn’t hold my breath on that.

RF-4X

fighter, Recon No Responses »

Jun 072014

An illustration of the proposed RF-4X from the early 1970s. This was to be a highly modified version of the F-4E Phantom II capable of attaining Mach 3 for short periods. This would be possible by used more advanced inlets with water injection for pre-compressor cooling. The water would be stored in conformal tanks above the fuselage. The RF-4X would be a recon platform for the Israelies, sort of a low-budget, less stealthy SR-71.

Northrop N382-20 STOVL fighter design

fighter, VTOL 1 Response »

May 152014

A fighter design from ~1990 could take off in under 600 feet, land vertically, carry two AMRAAMs, two ASRAAMs and one 20mm gun and 500 rounds. Used a remote augmented lift system for VTOL thrust, weighed about 28,000 pounds.

XF-88 with turboprop footage

fighter No Responses »

May 042014

Silent footage of the XF-88 modified as a turboprop aircraft, rather than the standard put turbojet. The prop at the nose could be disengaged and feathered, as is shown clearly here. The idea was that at the time turboprop aircraft had substantially greater range than turbojets, which drank their fuel with abandon; the blades of this propeller were designs so that the tips would actually break the sound barrier. The hope was that a fighter could be designed to be both fuel efficient and break the sound barrier, but the sound produced by the supersonic propeller was so horrifically loud and screechy that it caused physical injury to ground crew. The idea obviously was not adopted.

[youtube l1rqlfhLdvc]

Mystery aircraft photographed again?

bomber, fighter, stealth 1 Response »

Apr 172014

A potential followup to THIS POST seems to show a better view of what may be a new stealthy aircraft:

Wichita’s mystery in the sky

A tiny amount of processing gives this:

To me, this might be a B-2, The underside of the “nose” certainly looks like the complex contouring of the B-2. But the trailing edge *looks* unlike the B-2. Another sites’ attempt at processing gives an interesting trailing edge:

Clearer photo of mysterious unidentified flying object taken in Kansas

If this is accurate, the aircraft looks like nothing so much as the Boeing Model 988-122, one of a series of stealthy and semi-stealthy highly maneuverable multi-role aircraft designed around 1996:

British stealth fighter spotted inverted at low altitude

fighter, stealth No Responses »

Mar 082014

Remarkably low stall speed as well.

[youtube HiFIw8OkTWk]

Appears to be the mockup/radar test model of the British Aerospace “Replica” concept from the late 1990s, which in turns seems to have been based on the McDonnell-Douglas JAST (Joint Advanced Strike Technology) concept which competed and lost against the Boeing X-32 and Lockheed X-35.

NATF-22

fighter 2 Responses »

Feb 182014

Around 1990, the US Navy considered an F-14 replacement based on either the F-22 or F-23 designs, the Navy Advanced Tactical Fighter (see Aerospace Projects Review issue V3N2 for a whole lot on the Northrop NATF-23). The Lockheed NATF-22 designs seems to have never been fully nailed down, but instead was constantly in flux. But the basic idea was that it would be a navalized version of the F-22 with swing-wings akin to those of the F-14. However, the Navy gave up on the idea in 1992.

Lockheed NATF-22 artwork (via Jay Miller archive)

Side note: if anyone might happen to have good data on the NATF-22 (more than the stuff that showed up in magazines and such at the time), please contact me.

USBP & APR suggestions

bomber, Dyna Soar, fighter, launch vehicles, nukes, Recon, rockets, space shuttle, space station, spacecraft, spaceplane, US Bomber Projects 10 Responses »

Feb 102014

For the next few days blogging might be a bit sparse as I work on the next issues of Aerospace Projects Review and US Bomber Projects. Usually when I release one of these, I get a *few* emails, generally complementary, sometimes asking for clarification or pointing out editing/spelling errors, that sort of thing (and with APR, “make go more faster”). I very rarely get “why don’t you include this” or “why don’t you do that” messages. Well… discuss. What would you like to see new and/or different in APR and/or USBP?

Also: the perpetual problem I have with both of these is lack of public knowledge of these titles. Heck, when I did “The Space Show” interview two months ago, I expected a slight bump in business… but sales (and views of the APR blog) actually went *down* slightly in the week afterwards. Damned if I can figure that out. So if anyone has any suggestions on how to get some press for these little endeavors, I’d appreciate ’em. And of course, an increase in interest & sales will mean an increase on *my* part in producing these things faster, so if you want APR and USBP issues at a faster clip, here’s how to get it done.

North American D-118

bomber, fighter, US Bomber Projects No Responses »

Feb 022014

A North American Aviation concept for a highly modified P-82, dating from 1949. The piston engines would be removed and replaced with Allison XT-38 turboprops. The engines would be located mid-fuselage, necessitating that the cockpit would have to be moved well forward of their normal position. The end result would be a plane that weighed the same, gave the pilots better views and went substantially faster.

This one may show up in a future issue of USBP, as the intended role was ground attack.

Grumman Advanced Fighter

fighter No Responses »

Jan 152014

Possibly an ATF, more likely a pre-ATF concept. Looks high performance but with little effort at stealth.If the code scribbled on it means what I think it might, it may be dated 1971. In which case this would be a bit late for the F-15 program (McD was picked in 1969), and certainly doesn’t fit the F-16 profile.

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