December 2011 – Aerospace Projects Review Blog

Curtiss-Wright Model 90 VTOL Artwork: Hi-rez

Dec 232011

Curtiss-Wright proposed the Model 90 to the US Army for the AAFSS (Armed Aerial Fire Support System) contest circa 1965. The Model 90 was derived from X-19 design concepts, and was a VTOL vehicle that used four tilting prop-rotors for both VTOL and forward thrust. The Model 90 lost out to the Lockheed design, which became the AH-56 Cheyenne. It’s interesting to speculate how the USAF would have reacted had the Army selected the Model 90… it was, after all, a fixed-wing combat aircraft, and by this point the US Army was not supposed to have such things.

You can download a 5 megabyte JPG file of the artwork; the link is HERE. To access it, you will need to enter a username and password. The username: the first word in the body of the text on page 3 of APR issue V2N4. The password: the first word in the body of the text on page 5 of the same issue. Note that both are case sensitive.

North American Aviation Scramjet Vehicle in Hi-Rez

hi-rez, hypersonic 1 Response »

Dec 212011

Below is concept art from North American Aviation depicting a manned hypersonic airbreathing vehicle… presumably using scramjets (not a certainty, however). It was clearly painted by the same artist, using the same technique, as this rendering of the Manned Hypersonic Test Vehicle-3 (MHTV-3). Date is uncertain, but is from the latter portion of the 1960’s. This design might be the MHTV-1, -2, or something completely other. As with a lot of concept art from decades ago, it was found without context… in this case, a transparency found at a yard sale.

The aircraft features six engines, three on either side of a semi-conical fuselage. A ventral ridge runs from the nose past the engine exhausts;panel lines indicate that the landing gear was contained within this ridge. Another line behind the cockpit indicates that the forward fuselage could pop off in the event of an emergency. Downward angled wingtips indicate B-70-like compression lift; a large expansion ramp forms the aft end of the rather tubby fuselage.

You can download a 5.7 megabyte JPG file of the artwork; the link is HERE. To access it, you will need to enter a username and password. The username: the first word in the body of the text on page 3 of APR issue V2N6. The password: the first word in the body of the text on page 4 of the same issue. Note that both are case sensitive.

NAR FX Three-View

fighter, hi-rez No Responses »

Dec 202011

A three-view drawing of the North American Rockwell FX, dated June 1969, with a good deal of dimensional and other data. Note the large ventral fins which fold out of the way for takeoff and landing.

You can download a 0.5 megabyte JPG file of the diagram. The link to the JPG file is HERE. To access it, you will need to enter a username and password. These are available on the first page of the Aerospace Projects Review V3N2 Addendum (available HERE) Note that both are case sensitive.

APR issue V3N2 Addendum now available

bomber, fighter, launch vehicles, space shuttle, stealth 5 Responses »

Dec 172011

APR issues used to be published with a mishmash of of 8.5X11 and 11X17 pages. When I started releasing issues on MagCloud, APR became an all-8.5X11 publication.

However, there are oftentimes illustrations that would benefit from being on 11X17, such as many in issue V3N2. Additionally, there are often more illustrations than can be conveniently added to a coherent article. So I have put together an addendum for V3N2, including a number of larger-format illustrations and some new ones that didn’t make it into V3N2. This includes:

1/72 scale CAD drawings from the F-23 derivatives article (they were 1/144 scale in V3N2)
1/96 scale CAD drawings of the FB-23 (formerly 1/144 scale)
Larger-size and additional color renderings of the F-23A and NATF-23 by artist Ken Scott
Larger-size versions of the “Christmas Fighter,” YF-23, F-23A and NATF-23 diagrams
Larger-size and additional diagrams covering the STAR Clipper and derivatives

———-
The V3N2 Addendum can be downloaded directly from me for the low, low price of $5. To get the download, simply pay for it here through paypal.

——–

———
———-

Radial-Arm Space Station in Hi-Rez

hi-rez, space station 2 Responses »

Dec 142011

A NASA artist concept for a three-arm space station, dated 1962.

This space station would be launched as a unit by a single Saturn V, with the arms folded down, forming a cylinder. In orbit the arms would hinge up and the space station would rotate, generating artificial gravity.

Dennis R. Jenkins wrote an article on such space station designs, published in Aerospace Projects Review issue V1N6.

You can download a 4 megabyte JPG file of the artwork. The link to the JPG file is HERE. To access it, you will need to enter a username and password. The username: the first word in the body of the text on page 4 of APR issue V2N5. The password: the first word in the body of the text on page 9 of the same issue. Note that both are case sensitive.

McDonnell Douglas series-burn booster for Shuttle

launch vehicles, space shuttle, spaceplane 1 Response »

Dec 132011

An early 1971 design from McDonnell Douglas for the Space Shuttle Phase B extension program. As an alternative to solid rocket boosters, this concept used a single liquid rocket booster underneath the external tank. Several concepts were studied, including pressure fed systems. This particular design used four F-1 rocket engines from the Saturn V, in an entirely new booster. The booster would be recovered at sea, splashing down nose first; large flaps would stabilize it nose-down during descent, and solid rocket motors would provide terminal deceleration.

North American Rockwell FX artwork in hi-rez: 2

fighter, hi-rez 2 Responses »

Dec 112011

Another piece of North American Aviation artwork depicting their FX design. Sadly, I only have this in B&W, but at least it’s gigantic.

You can download a 5 megabyte JPG file. The link to the JPG file is HERE. To access it, you will need to enter a username and password. The username: the first word in the body of the text on page 3 of APR issue V2N2. The password: the first word in the body of the text on page 16 of the same issue. Note that both are case sensitive.

RQ170 image tinkering

stealth No Responses »

Dec 092011

While the RQ170 photos from Iran remain in some dispute, it’s looking more and more likely that they show an actual aircraft (though likely patched up somewhat). I’ve adjusted the gamma on a few of the high rez photos previously linked to, and you can just barely make out what appears to be the face of a single jet engine behind the inlet grate.

North American Rockwell FX artwork in hi-rez

fighter, hi-rez 3 Responses »

Dec 092011

An artist impression of the North American Aviation FX design, the NA-335. This was a late 1960’s design concept entered into the competition that eventually produced the F-15. The NAR design was a particularly aesthetically pleasing one, with almost every line a curve.

You can download a 4 megabyte JPG file. The link to the JPG file is HERE. To access it, you will need to enter a username and password. The username: the first word in the body of the text on page 13 of APR issue V3N1. The password: the first word in the body of the text on page 21 of the same issue. Note that both are case sensitive.

If you want to read more on the NA-335 or see a three-view, I can’t recommend highly enough Tony Buttler’s “American Secret Projects: Fighters & Interceptors 1945-1978.”

RQ170 on display

Uncategorized 2 Responses »

Dec 082011

The Iranians have put on display what appears to be the RQ170 that went down. The color is odd, though. Could be a mockup. If it is the real thing, it’s in really good shape… indicating less of a shootdown and a crash than, perhaps, a hacking and rough landing.

[youtube vorWHmk38yE]

[youtube M_uv6Welnco]

UPDATE: High rez photos.

Older Entries