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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0431.PDF
FLIGHT, 3 April 1953 429 AIRCRAFT INTELLIGENCE A CAGE OF MICE: This photograph shows, for the first time, the retractable box of Mighty Mouse rockets mounted under the F-80D Sabre. It is remarkable that such a device can be pushed out into the airstream at high speed without introducing severe r.ose-down pitching and loss of airspeed. U.S.A. North American F-S6D Sabre. On this page in our February 27th issue, reference was made to the all-rocket armament of a number of all-weather fighters. Three of these aircraft were the Lockheed F-94C Starfire (24 rockets around the nose, plus a further dozen in an optional pod on each wing), the Northrop F-89D Scorpion (24 rockets in a pod on each wing-tip) and the Avro Canada CF-100 (30 rockets in a pod on each wing-tip, plus a further 40 in a fuselage tray). All these aircraft are two- seaters. The North American F-86D, on the other hand, is a single-seat aircraft, and its pilot has the task of monitoring the operation of the radar interception equip ment, the radar gunsight and the autopilot —the two latter being coupled together in later Ds to provide automatic locking-on. When the radar ranging registers firing range, the rocket-tray under the belly is automatically lowered and the missiles— 24 "Mighty Mice"—rippled away, as shown in the photograph on this page. No guns are carried. It may be remarked that the Sabre appears to feature a better installation than the Starfire, for the latter aircraft flies through a thick smoke-cloud while the rockets are being fired which, inter alia, must starve the engine of combustion air. Douglas Jet Transport. More reports are arriving regarding the probable configura tion of this important aircraft. Some are conflicting, but many affirm our recent contention that the wing will be "a cres cent," although not necessarily following the Handley Page formula. The favoured engines appear to be the Pratt and Whitney J57 and the Curtiss-Wright J65 Sapphire; but the British-built Avon is also spoken of as a possible. Republic XF-&4H. It is now known that this experimental arcraft will be powered by an Allison T56. This is a double turboprop unit, consisting of two T54S, driving a supersonic biplane airscrew through common gearing and a single final shaft. The T54 is a 3,750 h.p. development of the T38 and it is earmarked for an enlarged version of the Lockheed C-130 cargo transport. France Marcel Dassault Mystere. It may be recalled that Charles Monier, the well- known French test-pilot, was killed recent ly while flying one of the Mystere proto types. Enquiries have shown that, while the aircraft was at a height too low to permit ejection, one tip-tank broke away and hit the tail. The Mystcre is unique among swept-wing aircraft in having tip- tanks. The Sabre carries extra fuel in braced underwing tanks mounted on pylons, and the Hunter will—according to Ameri can reports—have Mosquito-type under wing tanks mounted flat against the wing surface. Canada Avro Delta Fighter. Such an aircraft would appear logical, in view of the delta experience of the British Avro company. It appears that a project for a "1,300 m.p.h. turbojet delta fighter" has been under ex amination by Avro Canada for some months, but that the Canadian government is un willing to provide sufficient capital for its development. Aviation Week has it that $105 million is needed; this should not be an underestimate. In addition, the "flying saucer" mentioned on this page some weeks ago has figured in further reports, which state that it is a vertical take-off fighter of roughly circular plan form, and that a wooden mock-up has been built for "operational evaluation." Russia Tu-4 development. As is well known, the B-29 Superfortress—several of which were acquired by Russia in 1945—was placed in production in Russia in 1947. It is now thought that the original ASh-90 engines (copies of the Wright R-3350) have been replaced, in the latest types of Tu-4, by M-30OS of some 3,000 h.p. each. At the same time, additional tankage and equip ment have been added to bring the standard Russian piston-engined bomber into the B-50 class. DASSAULT M.D.450 Ourogan (Hispano Suiza Ktene) Span 42ft 8 in Length ... 35 ft 4 in
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