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)

NATF-22

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.

 Posted by at 5:59 pm

US Bomber Projects #08, Large formats 01-03 and 04-06 Now Available

 bomber, Dyna Soar, hypersonic, launch vehicles, nukes, research, rockets, space shuttle, spacecraft, spaceplane, US Bomber Projects  No Responses »
Feb 162014
 

Now available:

Issue number 08 of US Bomber Projects is now available (for background, see HERE). This issue includes:

  • Boeing Model 464-27: a slightly-swept turboprop B-52 progenitor
  • Rockwell D645-6: A minimum-weight spanloader missile carrier
  • Martin Mach 4.25: A large, manned nuclear ramjet
  • Boeing Model 484-2-2: A swept-wing, slightly supersonic B-58 competitor
  • Douglas System 464L: A many-surfaced Dyna Soar spaceplane
  • Martin Model 223-8: a 1944 step on the road to the XB-48
  • Boeing Model 801-11A: A Mach 3.5 hydrogen fueled design of incredible range
  • Martin MAMBA: A mid-1960’s A-10-analog

USBP#08 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4.25:

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usbp08

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Brand new: larger format drawing collections

The CAD drawings created for USBP reformatted an rescaled for 11X17 collected in separate volumes. Drawings have in some cases been corrected, improved and added to.

USBP 11X17 01-03 collects the diagrams created for issues 01, 02 and 03, including:

Rockwell D 645-1; NAA 1495-25 PAMSS; Boeing Model 701-273-0; Convair B-58-C-1; Lockheed CL-2102-2; Lockheed Model 195-A-13; Martin Model 223-1; Boeing Model 444 A; Rockwell D 645-1: LH2; NAA High Performance Penetrator; Boeing Model 701-273-1; Lockheed GL-232; Boeing Space Sortie; Martin Model 223-2; Boeing Model 461; Northrop Low Altitude Penetrator; Rockwell D 645-4A; Lockheed System 464L; Convair Mach 4 “Rollover;” Boeing Model 701-273-3; Boeing HSCT Model 1080-854; Martin Model 223-3; Boeing Model 462

USBP11x17-01-03 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $11:

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usbp11x17-01-03

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USBP 11X17 04-06 collects the diagrams created for issues 04, 05 and 06, including:

McDonnell System 464L; Lockheed-Martin Falcon; Lockheed Senior Peg; Boeing Mobile Missile Carrier; Boeing Model 701-273-4; Lockheed Cruise Missile Carrier; Boeing Model 462-5; Martin Model 223-4; McDonnell-Douglas ATB; McDonnell-Douglas/Boeing DF-9; Boeing Model 701-273-5; Fairchild N-9; Martin Model 223-5; Rockwell D645-5;North American 464L; Boeing Model 464-17; Boeing Model 464-18; Convair WS-125A; Martin MX-2092; GD AMPSS; Republic System 464L; Martin Model 223-6; Boeing Model 701-273-6; Martin Water-Based Attack Aircraft

USBP11x17-04-06 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $11:

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usbp11x17-04-06

 Posted by at 1:27 pm

Nuclear Turbojet

 bomber, nukes  2 Responses »
Feb 122014
 

I usually don’t just repost aerospace projects from other websites, but what the heck: An illustration of a 200 megawatt nuclear powerplant for aircraft. This single-reactor, four-turbojet engine would have been installed in a highly modified B-36 or B-60.

 

ANP53 aircraft mounting

 

This powerplant is very similar to the General Electric powerplant intended for the X-6, which consisted of an R-1 reactor and a P-1 powerplant… four modified General Electric J47 turbojets. However, here the reactor is spherical rather than the R-1’s cylindrical, and the engines are described as Wright engines rather than GE. Wright was not a major designer of turbojets… this drawing might show engines based on the Wright J67, which was a license built version of the British Rolls-Royce Olympus. This nuclear turbojet concept is probably form fairly early in the design process.

The basic concept was simple enough. The reactor would replace chemical jet fuel by putting a heat exchanger where the turbojet would normally have a combustor. In order to get the heat from the reactor to the heat exchanger, a NaK (an alloy of sodium and potassium) would be used. NaK has the convenient feature of being liquid at room temperature (freezing at -11 Celcius), boiling above 785 Celcius. This means that in most conditions, even with the reactor off, the liquid in the pipes won’t freeze, and the liquid will stay a liquid, capable of carrying considerable thermal energy, at usefully high temperatures. On the other hand, NaK has the unfortunate problem of having a serious hatred for water and oxygen, merrily exploding in contact with either (especially at high temperature). If your nuclear engine springs a leak… watch out.

 Posted by at 9:33 am

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.

 Posted by at 6:53 pm

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.

Scan040002

 Posted by at 4:08 am

733-197 cutaway art

 jetliner, transports  No Responses »
Jan 312014
 

From the Jay Miller archive, a 1964 cutaway illustration of the Boeing 733-197 supersonic transport. This was relatively low capacity compared to the later 2707 designs, being somewhat more like Concorde. I’ve seen and scanned several different versions of this, but each has been substantially flawed (this one is gray and the wingtips are out of focus… another is color, but was chopped in half to fit in a proposal, etc.). If anyone might happen to have a high-rez, clear color version, I’d love to see it.

sst 733

See HERE for more on the 733-197.

 Posted by at 4:50 pm

NAA TSTO

 launch vehicles, space shuttle, spacecraft, spaceplane  2 Responses »
Jan 252014
 

Couple being very ill with desperately trying to make a dime, I’ve not had much opportunity to scour my files recently for aerospace projects to blog about. So here’s one: a notion for a fully reusable two-stage-to-orbit launch vehicle produced by North American around 1963. This was part of a study for reusable launchers with a payload of 50 to 100 tons, with the baseline design being a reusable version of the Saturn V.

This design was at the far end of the possible designs, with “nail wings onto S-IC and S-II stages” being on the near-term end. This design would be fully reusable with both stages manned and powered by LOX/LH2 burning expansion-deflection rocket engines. As with many such designs of the time, the wing area is relatively gigantic.

tsto

 Posted by at 7:02 pm

US Bomber Projects #06 and 07 Now Available

 bomber, Dyna Soar, hypersonic, launch vehicles, nukes, rockets, spacecraft, spaceplane, US Bomber Projects  1 Response »
Jan 192014
 

Now available:

Issue number 06 of US Bomber Projects is now available (for background, see HERE). This issue includes:

  • Boeing Model 464-18: a reduced-size version of the 464-17 turboprop strategic bomber
  • Convair WS-125A: A supersonic seaplane powered by nuclear reactors
  • Martin MX-2092: a subsonic jet bomber that towed a large missile
  • GD AMPSS: A 1963 variable geometry design leading towards the B-1
  • Republic System 464L: a lifting body spaceplane with a nuclear bomb on its back
  • Martin Model 223-6: a 1944 step on the road to the XB-48
  • Boeing Model 701-273-6: A supersonic bomber composed of two linked aircraft
  • Martin Water-Based Attack Aircraft: a single-seat strike plane capable of water takeoffs & landings

USBP#06 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4.25:

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US Bomber Projects #07 is also now available. This issue includes:

  • Boeing Model 464-25: a modification of the 464-17 turboprop bomber with slightly swept wings, among other changes
  • Boeing Model 828-2: a giant and incredibly slow long-endurance plane with a formidable payload
  • Fairchild N-12: an early nuclear powered turboprop design
  • Rockwell D645-3: a supersonic treetop-level bomber capable of completely stowing its wing
  • Boeing model 701-273-7: last in the study, a design with a large wing, a small fuselage and canards
  • Bell MX-Carrying Hovercraft: a large armored hovercraft complete with an MX missile and self-defense interceptor missiles
  • Convair System 464L: Dyna Soar I and Dyna Soar III spaceplanes
  • Martin Model 223-7: A 1944 ancestor to the XB-48 with vertically stacked engines

USBP#07 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4.25:

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 Posted by at 5:21 am
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