Aerospace Projects Review


My published books:



Mortons has published my "bookazine" Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird - Origins & Evolution. This is my first published book. Woo! It covers the development of the SR-71 from well before the program started, including the "Suntan" concepts and several Convair high speed reconnaissance platforms, up through the development of the "Archangel" series that led to the CIA's A-12, through the Mach 3 interceptor designs and the SR-71 itself. From there it also includes a number of proposed derivatives and unbuilt concepts... an A-12 used to launch satellites, the SR-71 as a carrier for a manned hypersonic scramjet vehicle, the use of the "SR-71C" as a flying wind tunnel, etc.

"One of the world’s most extreme and enigmatic aircraft, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, is the ultimate evolution of a long line of top secret projects which first coalesced in the form of the CIA’s A-12 reconnaissance platform. American aircraft development specialist Scott Lowther looks in detail at the vast range of different variants and configurations proposed for this remarkable family of high-speed high-altitude jets."

It is available directly through the publisher for £8.99 (Approx $12.41 or €10.34). It is also available through Amazon for $12.99. 87% of the Amazon reviews are five-star.



Mortons has published my book "B-47 and B-52: Origins and Evolution." It loaded to the gills with diagrams, in this case covering the competitors to the B-47 and B-52, the original concepts, how the designs evolved and many of the proposed and built derivatives, all in a hardback book of some 388 pages. It is also available digitally through the publisher.

"The famous B-52 Stratofortress has been in service with the USAF for more than 65 years and its iconic shape is known and recognised all over the world. Yet the B-52 and its predecessor, the B-47 Stratojet, started out looking very different indeed. Each aircraft was the end product of a lengthy design process which saw numerous configurations studied – with plenty of diversions taken and missteps made along the way.

In Boeing B-47 Stratojet and B-52 Stratofortress: Origins and Evolution, aerospace engineer Scott Lowther reviews and explains the many different projects put forward for these two iconic aircraft, including a wide variety of rare and forgotten designs.

Providing full-page diagrams, a wealth of new artwork and accurate data, the book will be useful for model makers interested in new and unique projects, aerospace engineers curious about the process of design evolution and those interested in these fascinating aircraft."

It is available directly through the publisher for £35.00 . It is also available through Amazon for $49.49. 76% of the Amazon review give it five stars.

Mortons has published my bookazine "US Supersonic Bomber Projects Volume 1."

"During the early stages of the cold war the USAF operated a huge fleet of strategic bombers - but these were all subsonic and development of high-speed surface-to-air missiles and jet interceptors made them increasingly vulnerable. America’s Strategic Air Command urgently needed new aircraft capable of flying higher and faster than anything that the opposition could field. Building a bomber able to carry an appreciable bomb load at speeds above Mach 1 for long distances was a real challenge and American designers were forced to rapidly evolve their designs to keep pace with technological advancements. The result was a vast number of supersonic bomber projects, ranging from viable proposals which became real aircraft, such as the B-58 and B-1, to incredibly ambitious concepts. Using a wealth of illustrations, aerospace engineer Scott Lowther explores this unique period of aviation history in US Supersonic Bomber Projects."

It is available directly through the publisher for £9.99 . It is also available through Amazon for $13.99. 85% of the Amazon review give it five stars.

Mortons has published my bookazine "US Supersonic Bomber Projects Volume 2."

The threat posed by the Soviet Union throughout the postwar period coincided with an explosion of innovation and can-do attitude among America's aircraft manufacturers. Challenging requirements and experimentation resulted in a huge variety of designs for aircraft powered by nuclear reaction, aircraft capable of flying faster than Mach 5, advanced bombers able to land and take-off from the surface of the ocean, VTOL fighters and bombers, and many others. Aerospace engineer Scott Lowther collects some of the most radical and beyond-the-state-of-the-art 'secret projects' in this - the second volume of his US projects series.

It is available directly through the publisher for £9.99 . It is also available through Amazon for $13.99.



APR Monthly Historical Documents Program

Be sure to check out the Aerospace Projects Review Blog for updates and rarely seen aerospace tidbits

The Complete Catalog of Historic Aerospace Drawings and Documents

See HERE for latest releases

ALSO AVAILABLE: Actual, true cyanotype blueprints

Nuclear Pulse Propulsion: Fact and Fiction
Two book projects: Nuclear Pulse Propulsion, a voluminous history of the concept, and Pax Orionis, an alternate history where the United States develops spacecraft powered by atomic bombs.


If you would like to be added to the email list for updates to the list of available products - APR, models, drawings & documents - please look here

If you order a drawing or a document, you will be emailed a link address and a username/password for each of your items. This email will be sent by me personally, not automatically... so it could be back to you within minutes (if I happen to be online) or within the next 12 hours or so (I gotta sleep sometime). For more info on downloading files, see the Downloading FAQ.


American Nuclear Explosive Devices A new project to document every nuclear bomb developed by the United States, illustrated with accurate and detailed diagrams for model builders and anyone else interested in nuclear explosives!


US Aerospace Projects, covering Bombers, Transports, Spacecraft, Launch Vehicles, Fighters...

most recent issues: US Bomber Prjects #21, US Bomber Projects #22, US Transport Projects #09, US VTOL Projects #03:





Discounts for Multiple Orders of Aerospace projects review, US Aerospace projects, Air & Space Drawings & Documents. Get 50% off!


Aerospace Projects Review

Aerospace Projects Review was originally published on paper in the early 2000's and is being completely updated and released electronically. The issues are updated with better and higher-resolution images, improved and expanded text, additional information and entirely new stuff... including art and diagrams created specially for these new releases.



Most recent: Issue eVolume 3, Number 4

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eVolume 0, Number 0

This issue (56 pages) covers the Martin XB-68, the Kaiser Tailless Airplane, the Northrop N-31 series of turboprop flying wing bombers, the unusual Drawbridge/Pancake Space Shuttle concept, a Convair tailsitter jet fighter, a Mach 6 three-body SST, the Tarnsport-To-Space concept for a break-apart spaceplane, Curtis high-speed fighters and a Boeing VTOL passenger jet.

56 megabyte PDF file.


V0N0 download order: $6.50

Get a high-quality printed version at MagCloud!
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eVolume 1, Number 1

This issue (42 pages) contains articles on the Seversky "Super-Clipper," the Lockheed "Flatbed" and Rockwells X-33 design. Also includes smaller articles on the Convair X-6 and Northrops Integral Launch and Recovery Vehicle.

35 megabyte PDF file.


V1N1 download order: $5.50


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eVolume 1, Number 2

This issue (90 pages) has a very large article on Saturn V S-IC derived flyback boosters; the Northrop N-63 and the US Navy VTOL fighter competition, 1950; NACA VTOL supersonic bomber; NASA TFX design studies.

11 megabyte PDF file


V1N2 download order: $8.00


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eVolume 1, Number 3

This issue (78 pages) has articles on:
The Helios program: contained nuclear-pulse propulsion program, run parallel with Orion. Will also include a number of related designs such as the Dandridge Cole designs for Martin
Blended Wing Bodies: A vastly expanded article (the original dealt only with an early McDonnell-Douglas patented concept) on BWB airliners and bombers. With include many drawings of these designs... including drawings of a Lockheed design for probably the largest aircraft ever seriously considered.
Focke-Wulf VTOL airliners of the 1960's
Early NASA hypersonic aircraft designs, including recon and interceptors
Bell X-14C close-support VTOL aircraft and related designs

8 megabyte PDF file


V1N3 download order: $7.00


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eVolume 1, Number 4

87 pages, with the main article being on Early development of Project Orion, including "Putt-Putt"
Lockheed L-133 jet fighter by Bill Slayton
Turboprop-equipped B-36 designs by Dennis R. Jenkins
Bell and North American WS 118P designs

16 megabyte PDF file


V1N4 download order: $8.00


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eVolume 1, Number 5

A 90-page issue
Project Orion, USAF and NASA 10 meter designs. This article presents many never before published Project Orion technical diagrams.
Lockheed CL-407 VTOL supersonic attack fighter
Early North American Aviation space shuttle by Dennis R. Jenkins
The mystery "Zerstorer:" combat aircraft or SST?

29 megabyte PDF file


V1N5 download order: $8.00


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eVolume 1, Number 6

86 pages in this issue, with the main article on American submarine aircraft carrier projects. Boeing and General Dynamics designs for submarine aircraft carriers are shown in exhaustive detail, along with a Mach 3 VTOL strike fighter! Also included are articles on:
Lunar Logistics Orions
Lockheed CL 346 VTOL strike fighters
Junkers RT8
Rotating space stations by Dennis R. Jenkins

24 megabyte PDF file, 86 pages


V1N6 download order: $8.00


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eVolume 2, Number 1

An 82-page issue. The main article: Project Pluto! A nuclear-powered ramjet cruise missile, designed to cruise at Mach 3/treetop level. Perhaps one of the most evil weapons systems ever almost built. Also:
XB-70-derived SST by Dennis R. Jenkins
Lockheed CL 167 fighter by Bill Slayton
Rockwell boost-glide suborbital passenger transport
General Dynamics/Convair AT3-30 advanced civil transport
Douglas Model D-790 "Missileer"
Tupolev TU-2000 SSTO aerospaceplane
747 "Guppy"

35 megabyte PDF file

V2N1 download order: $8.00


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eVolume 2, Number 2

By far the biggest APR yet, at 153 pages! The main article: The LARGE Orion designs, including the Orion Battleship and the "Doomsday" Orion! Numerous of the largest Orions are shown, by way of technical diagrams (including a number of never-before-published diagrams of the 4,000 ton USAF design) and many all-new renderings made just for this issue! Also:
Convair Model 49 AAFSS by Dennis R. Jenkins... one of the oddest "helicopter gunships" ever
Republic's "Do Everything Configuration:" good for VTOL, good for strike bombers, strategic bombers and SSTs!
Bell BoMi Part One: the birth of the Bomber Missile, the predecessor of the X-20 Dyna Soar and the Space Shuttle, and the manned competitor of the ICBM
Martin Model 247: the turboprop version of the Martin B-48 bomber
The Bell X-14B: It survives, and here are the photos to prove it!
North American Aviations 1947 designs for atomic powered rockets and ramjets
Supersonic Transport derivatives of the Convair B-58 "Hustler" (with special color artwork prepared just for this article!)

22 megabyte PDF file

V2N2 download order: $10.00


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eVolume 2, Number 3

99 pages. The main article: Part 2 of the Bell BOMI article series, showing the evolution of the manned rocket bomber concept from the early 1952 three stage concept through passenger transports on up to the end of the program.
Also:
Three-engined 747 by Dennis R. Jenkins... a proposed DC-10 competitor
Convair's Flying Wing "B-36" by Dennis R. Jenkins
Martin Model 262: a turboprop VTOL fighter
The BlackburnB-49B canard flying boat
Bell D-188 VTOL Fighter Part One: covers early Bell VTOL fighter design up to the initial D-188 concept
Grumman D-623-2024: jet VTOL fighter

14 megabyte PDF file

V2N3 download order: $8.50

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eVolume 2, Number 4

113 pages. The main articles: Part 3 of the Bell BOMI article series, showing the final designs of the manned rocket bomber concept from the late 1950's up to the beginning of the Dyna Soar program.
Also:
Bell D188A VTOL Fighter part two
Ames Mach 10 demonstrators by Dennis R. Jenkins
Convairs Seaplane Jet Bombers by Robert Bradley
Convair Manned Reconnaissance Glide Vehicle
Boeing Model 767-730 nuclear powered transport

due to filesize (over 50 meg), this issue is split into two PDF files for easier downloading

V2N4 download order: $9.00

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eVolume 2, Number 5

75 pages. The main articles: Aerospaceplane - 1961. Several major American aerospace corporations competed to design a large operational "orbital airplane." Here is a moment in time of the multi-year effort.
Also:
Convair Spaceplane by Dennis R. Jenkins
Convairs Seaplane Jet Bombers Part 2 by Robert Bradley
Messerschmitt Me 328 variations, part 1
Curtis Wright Helicopter Airliner
Martin SeaMaster
Fairchild NEPA nuclear bomber

V2N5 download order: $7.00

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eVolume 2, Number 6

136 pages. The main articles:
ROMBUS/ITHACUS: the Douglas concept from 1963 for a million-pound payload SSTO, and its stablemate that could rocket 1200 fully loaded US Marines anywhere in the world
Convair Mach 4 Seaplane Bombers, by George Cully
Convair's flying submarine
Bell Aircraft's Orbital Saucer Project by Dave Stern
Messerschmit Me 328 Variations, Part 2

Two "Aerospace History Nuggets:"
Saab 1073 short-haul jetliner, 1968
Tsanders Aerospaceplane

V2N6 download order: $10.00

Get a high-quality printed version at MagCloud!

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Volume 3, Number 1

127 pages, covering the Convair NEXUS super-booster from 1963/64; the Convair XP-92 ramjet powered supersonic fighter from 1946, Werner von Braun's "Ferry Rocket" from 1952; the Lockheed GL 268 "lambda winged" BWB cargo lifter from 1960; and a McDonnell-Douglas ATF entry from 1982.

66 megabyte PDF file


V3N1 download order: $10.00

Get a high-quality printed version at MagCloud!


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Volume 3, Number 2

140 pages, covering the Lockheed STAR Clipper stage-and-a-half space shuttle concept; a Convair design for a supersonic transport built from an F-106 interceptor; derivatives of the Northrop F-23 stealth fighter (including the notorious F/B-23); a long-duration Northrop multipurpose aircraft and the Vanguard Model 18 VTOL.

76 megabyte PDF file


V3N2 download order: $10.00


ALSO AVAILABLE: V3N2 Addendum, with 65 pages formatted for 11X17 sheets. Includes larger format (and higher rez images) along with additional artwork and diagrams that were not in issue V3N2 due to space constraints.
V3N2 Addendum download order: $5.00
Get a high-quality printed version at MagCloud!

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Volume 3, Number 3

98 pages, with the main article focusing on the Douglas XC-132 cargo transporter/tanker from the 1950's. Includes detailed diagrams of the final design, as well as diagrams and info on designs leading up to it. Also: detailed design info and diagrams of the A-12 Avenger II stealth strike plane for the US Navy; concepts for using bomber aircraft as first stage launchers for the Dyna Soar spaceplane; Grummans VTOL stealthy Future Attack Air Vehicle; the many designs of the Martin Astrorocket, a program for a fully reusable operational military space launch system; and an article that links together the Orion Program, the Apollo program and a spacegoing jet fighter!

26 megabyte PDF file


V3N3 download order: $8.50


ALSO AVAILABLE: V3N3 Addendum, with 30 pages formatted for 11X17 sheets. Includes larger format (and higher rez images) along with additional artwork and diagrams that were not in issue V3N3 due to space constraints.
V3N3 Addendum download order: $3.00
Get a high-quality printed version at MagCloud!

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Volume 3, Number 4

128 pages. The main article focuses on the Boeing Model 844-2050E, the final, almost-built version of the X-20 Dyna Soar spaceplane. Included are not only detailed diagrams showing the design and construction of the spaceplane, but also drawings and information on proposed operational versions, including passenger ferries, satellite inspectors/interceptors, even nuclear bomber versions. Also included are all-new diagrams that fianlly show the Dyna Soar atop the Titan IIIC accurately and in detail!
An article by Bill Slayton on the Lockheed CL-295 design series. This was a series of tailsitter VTOL fighters including designs derived from the F-104 as well as wholly new designs.
The third article is on the McDonnell F-4(FVS),a mid-1960's concept to replace the low-mounted fixed wing of the F-4 Phantom II with an all-new variable geometry "swing wing." The story goes from the F-4(FVS) in its numerous incarnations through the Model 225, McDonnell-Douglas' entry into the 1968 US Navy VFX contest which resulted in the F-14.
Also, Aerospace History Nuggets on the US Navy SCAT VTOL and the Republic Aircraft RAC-730 SSTO aerospaceplane.

23 megabyte PDF file


V3N4 download order: $10.00


ALSO AVAILABLE: V3N4 Addendum, with 49 pages formatted for 11X17 sheets. Includes larger format (and higher rez images) along with additional artwork and diagrams that were not in issue V3N3 due to space constraints.
V3N4 Addendum download order: $4.00
Get a high-quality printed version at MagCloud!

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Volume 5, Number 6

This is a PDF version of the final issue of the original run of APR. V5N6 has been the most requested issue of APR since the print edition closed up shop. Unlike the other Electronic APRs, this is not an update... this is the original issue, without changes. It is converted from the actual Word document, so resolution remains. An advantage here is that much of the grayscale artwork is now in full color.
Articles include:
Raumwaffe, 1946: German space efforts in WWII... an attempt to separate the fact from the fiction
X-Wing aircraft
Boeing WS-110A designs by Dennis R. Jenkins, presenting many of the designs produced by Boeing for the B-70 competition.
Dash-On-Warning concepts

15 megabyte PDF file


V5N6 download order: $7.00


Individual articles

Many individual articles from APR... both from the original print run and the new, revised issues... are available for individual purchase. See the complete list HERE.

APR Specials:


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Article 34: Bell D188A Mach 2 VTOL Strike Fighter

The development of the Bell Aircraft D188A Mach 2 VTOL fighter bomber from the late 1950's/early 1960's. Packed with photos, illustrations and diagrams, this 72-page book tells the story of the D188A from its roots in World War II to its final design, with an eye towards aiding the modeler. Includes new color artwork created specifically for this publication.


Article 34 download order: $5.00

Get a high-quality printed version at MagCloud!
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Article 35: B-58 Derived SSTs

At the end of the 1950's, the future of aviation was to be the supersonic transport. In order to get there, Convair suggested that their Mach 2 B-58 “Hustler” bomber be converted into testbeds for SST technologies and operations. Several aircraft were designed, from pure test aircraft to planes designed for combined passenger transport and recon… all the way to a Mach 3 transport capable of carrying 135 passengers 4000 miles.

This book describes these designs, and is richly illustrated with contemporary and modern diagrams and full-color photos and artwork.


Article 35 download order: $4.00

Get a high-quality printed version at MagCloud!