US VTOL Projects #2 and US Research & Recon Projects #2 NOW AVAILABLE

launch vehicles, Recon, research, rockets, US Recon & Research Projects, US VTOL Projects, VTOL No Responses »

Feb 132018

Now available: two new US Aerospace Projects issues. Cover art was provided by Rob Parthoens, www.baroba.be

US VTOL Projects #2

US VTOL Projects #2 is now available (see HERE for the entire series). Issue #2 includes:

SOS Interceptor: A US Navy Mach 3 aircraft with jettisonable wings
Lockheed GL-224-3: A small battlefield surveillance and ground attack plane
Phalanx Dragon MP-18: An unconventional small civilian transport
Lockheed L-161-1: An early concept for a variable geometry roadable helicopter
GE Supersonic V/STOL: A supersonic strike fighter with flip-out lift fans
Convair ANP-VTOL: A nuclear-powered ground-effect craft of the Navy of unusual configuration
Piasecki 16H-3: A compound helicopter for high speed passenger transport
Boeing Vertol Model 147: A tilt-wing close support fire support design for the US Army

USVP #2 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4:

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US Research & Recon Projects #2

US Research & Recon Projects #2 is now available (see HERE for the entire series). Issue #2 includes:

Lockheed A-1: The first true design leading to the SR-71
Bell MX-2147 Model 105: The high altitude “X-16”
Boeing/CRC/AMROC X-34 Reference Configuration: A reusable launcher test vehicle
Martin Model 159: A scout/observation float plane
NASA-Langley Low-Boom Demonstrator: a recent design to demonstrate quiet SST tech
McDonnell-Douglas DC-9 Super 80 Propfan Configuration 1: A fuel efficient transport demo
Convair “HAZEL” MC-10: An inflatable Mach 3 plane for the Navy
Republic Manned Hypersonic Reconnaissance Vehicle: an early scramjet concept

USRP #2 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4:

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A B-1 bizjet???

bomber, research 4 Responses »

Jan 312018

Recently sold on ebay was an apparently old display model. It came without markings, stand or engine nacelles, which were obviously formerly pinned to the rear fuselage in the usual bizjet position. So just what it is is unknown, but it looks too good to be Just Some Guys kitbash. But what it *is* is a headscratcher. It’s clearly a B-1 bomber forward fuselage grafted to a bizjet fuselage, but for what purpose I can’t guess. It doesn’t make sense to use a supersonic bombers cockpit as the cockpit of a small corporate jet, even as a way to utilize existing manufacturing infrastructure. Might it have been meant as a training plane, to teach future B-1 pilots the fine art of flying a Bone? A flying laboratory for the B-1 cockpit to make sure it was set up right?

Or did someone down at the model shop just get a little likkered up?

It appears t be a B-1A cockpit, dating it to the mid/late 70’s.

December 2017 APR Patreon rewards

bomber, future projects, hi-rez, hypersonic, launch vehicles, Patreon, Patreon catalog, research, rockets, spacecraft, VTOL No Responses »

Dec 302017

The rewards for APR Patrons have been issued. This month:

CAD Diagram: Marquardt hypersonic burning ramjet booster

Diagram: Convair Class VP Airplane High Performance Flying Boat

Document 1: Apollo Exploration Shelter System

Document 2: Chrysler Work Station Capsule (“work pod” for astronauts)

Document 3: Sikorsky S-97 “Raider” brochure

If you are interested in helping to preserve (and get copies of) this sort of thing, consider signing up for the APR Patreon.

X-24 on a Titan III

launch vehicles, Patreon, research, rockets, spacecraft, spaceplane No Responses »

Dec 162017

A few days ago I uploaded in the 2017-12 APR Patron Extras Dropbox folder a scan of an old magazine article on the X-24 lifting body which including this interesting piece of art depicting an X-24 atop a Titan IIIc launch vehicle. There were indeed proposals to launch X-24 derivatives into orbit with Titan IIIs, but they wouldn’t be *exactly* X-24’s. The X-24 was not built as a spacecraft or a re-entry vehicle; it would be uncontrollable outside the atmosphere and would be a molten collection of rubbish on re-entry. Still, the proposed vehicles did look a *lot* like the X-24.

Support the APR Patreon to help bring more of this sort of thing to light!

Dyna Soar Test Flight Art

bomber, Dyna Soar, research, rockets, space shuttle, spacecraft, spaceplane No Responses »

Oct 192017

A rare piece of color art depicting an early Dyna Soar being dropped from a B-52. The Dyna Soar is equipped with two rocket engines used to boost it to higher altitude and higher speed (supersonic, though not very supersonic… think the test flights of the M2-F3 and the HL-10). Note that this shows the Dyna Soar having been tucked into a modified bomb bay in the B-52’s fuselage; planning would soon move the Dyna Soar to under the wing, using the same attachment point used by the B-52 to carry the X-15 and the lifting bodies.

Early “space capsule” concept

research, spacecraft 3 Responses »

Oct 122017

An apparently pre-Mercury “space capsule” design from Rocketdyne. I am somewhat dubious, though… I suspect it might be less “space capsule” than “high altitude capsule.” Nothing about it screams “re-entry vehicle;” rather it look like something that might have been hauled to the edge of space by a large balloon. The pressure suits worn by the occupants look like something to be worn by a U-2 pilot; there sure is a whole lot of wasted volume in there and it would be odd for a capsule meant to operate in zero-g to have a ladder in it.

Dyna Soar on an Atlas

Dyna Soar, hypersonic, launch vehicles, research, rockets, space shuttle, spacecraft, spaceplane No Responses »

Sep 182017

A rare piece of color art of an early Dyna Soar being lofted atop an Atlas/Centaur. Color artwork of the Dyna Soar was created in some considerable abundance, but it was mostly reproduced in B&W, and its sadly rare for even those B&W reports to have been printed well, rarer still for them to have been scanned or copied well.

Douglas D852 Wind Tunnel Model

fighter, research No Responses »

Sep 162017

Currently on eBay is a nice wind tunnel model set of parts for the Douglas D852. The design is not immediately known to me, but I suspect it’s an early 60’s concept, perhaps a very early TFX (eventually the F-111) or some other variable-sweep fighter. Anyone know?

Douglas Aircraft Co. D852 Model Assembly Jet Airplane No. 5818084 US Military

Jul 162017

Every month, patrons of the Aerospace Projects Review Patreon campaign are rewarded with a bundle of documents and diagrams, items of interest and importance to aerospace history. If you sign up, you get the monthly rewards going forwards; the “back issues” catalog lets patrons aid the APR cause by picking up items from before they signed on. The catalog, available to all patrons at the APR Patreon, has been updated to include everything from the beginning of the project back in 2014 on up to February, 2017.

Below are the items from 2016 (and the first two months of 2017):

If you are interested in any of these and in helping to fund the mission of Aerospace Projects Review, drop by the APR Patreon page and sign up. For only a few bucks a month you can help fund the procurement, scanning and dissemination of interesting aerospace documentation that might otherwise vanish from the public.

PDF Review: modifications to BQM-34E drone

Patreon, PDF Review, Recon, research No Responses »

Jul 142017

A 1972 Teledyne Ryan report on modifying their supersonic BQM-34E Firebee II target drone into RPV’s for testing new aerodynamics, wings and area-rule add-ons and the like. Numerous diagrams are included.

Here’s the link to the NTRS abstract.

Here’s the direct link to the PDF.