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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 1036.PDF
t June 1951 647 investigation had been made to allow the definite statement that the design problems were not insurmountable. Man had travelled at supersonic speeds with no ill effect to his system and had been subjected to higher g loading than would be necessary in rocket-powered flight. Pressurized control cabins had been in use for many years, and the detection systems were backed by a considerable period of successful operations which would allow the rocket intercepter to operate well above the attainable altitude of conventional aircraft and still be able to detect them for a possible attack. It was possible, said Mr. Moles, to develop a rocket inter- /-» cepter, such as he would propose, at a relatively low cost: the/-^ I problem was primarily one of applying currently available^ \~-A techniques and incorporating into one machine all items » developed to date. The Bell X-i and other rocket-powered types now flying could be converted to intermediate rocket- powered intercepters with a performance well in excess of existing military machines. They could carry small "war- heads" and sufficient propellants for a combined climb and cruise at reduced thrust for 20-30 min, and still have fuel for a full-power 30-sec speed run. They were, however, designed primarily for flight research and would not represent the ultimate intercepter aircraft. A more advanced design would be along the following lines. A radar antenna would be located in the nose. Directly behind this, sitting upright, would be the pilot. The controls would be of normal surface type and the entire nose could be detachable as a capsule for lowering by parachute. Behind the capsule would be a section for radio and communication equipment; then, occupying the major portion of the fuse- lage compartment, would be the propellant tanks. In the aft end would be the power plant, consisting of two cylinders with a total thrust of 26,000 lb. One cylinder would be a 5,000 lb thrust unit; the other of 21,000 lb thrust. In opera- tion the smaller cylinder would be started first and then, after ; a stable condition had been reached, the large one would bebrought into action. The intercepter would be launched from a special launcher operating under the machine's own power. The gear for launching would remain with the launcher and the aircraft would be equipped with skids—retractable or fixed—for landing. Alternatively, it could land on any relatively smooth water. The "warheads", estimated to total about 1,000 lb, would be carried at the wing-tips. A small independent pro- pellant charge would be carried with each warhead to give it a velocity slightly in excess of that of the aircraft. Estimated characteristics of the intercepter would be: Gross weight, 13,000 lb; landing weight, 3,5001b; wing area, ioosqft; wing span, 25ft; fuselage length, 30ft; propellants, 8,000 lb; max. speed, in excess of 2,000 m.p.h.; max. rate of climb, in excess of 5O,oooft/min; ceiling, above 200,000ft; range, 140 miles. Concerning endurance, said Mr. Moles, it had to be clearly understood that the conventional idea of endurance did not sly to rocket-powered intercepters, for they would be Douglas Skyrocket turbojet-cum-rocket research aircraft developed for the U.S. Navy. The cockpit section of the fuselage is jettisonable. Be// XS-1—designed for research and the first aircraft to exceed sonic speed. Usually air-launched, but able to take off under its own power. assigned to specific tasks. The endurance to cover a 140-mile range would be about 6 min. The tactical mission of the air- craft would be "close-in" protection of fixed bases, either on land or sea. Because the propellant load was 8,000 lb and the landing weight 3,500 lb, the buoyancy of the propellant tanks alone would cause the fuselage to float less than half sub- merged. The small radius of action and the short endurance indicated that the intercepter should be operated from fixed bases at key points, or from ships guarding a strategic base. A launching ramp, as illustrated, could be provided near the base, or a V.2 type of launching platform could be used. The ramp depicted could be rotated through 360 deg in a hori- zontal plane and could be tilted or elevated to a maximum of 90 deg for vertical launching. The majority of the launchings would be at about 45 deg, since this was the optimum climb angle. Once the position of the approaching enemy had been established, the launching ramp, with the intercepter on it, would be set to give the direction for interception. The small cylinder would be started and then the large cylinder; this would launch the machine with an acceleration of about 2g, and as the fuel was consumed in flight the acceleration would increase but would be limited to a maximum of 6g. Various methods of climb were possible. The large cylinder could be turned off and on, or it could be operated continuously, These views of the Fairey F.D.1 delta-wing research aircraft show the machine with its temporary tailplane. Visible at the rear of the fuselage are housings which might contain rocket units. Such a configuration would be suitable for a ramp-launched rocket-powered intercepter.
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