US VSTOL Projects

Sources:

Le Fana de L'Aviation Avril 2003 Nº401: Rockwell XFV-12A. Alexis Rocher pg 38 to 45.

Air Progress June 1973

Air International October 1974 pg 204. Refered as Model 200A

Minidocavia Nº7. Les Chasseurs Navals Américains (2ème partie) pg 32 for Grumman Type 607 info

Future Flight, the next generation of Aircraft Technology. Siuru and Busick. 1989 TAB Books ISBN 0-8306-9415-3. On page 67 it is a very from Model 200 taking off from a SCS deck. In the background there is a CL-84 in USN markings.

Aircraft 2000. The future of Aerospace Technology. Bill Sweetman. Hamlyn. ISBN 0 600 34726 5. 1984. On page 89, a drawing of a very similar aircraft is identified as GD Model 218.

From Le Fana: In November 1971 a research program was launched to develop an STOVL fighter and a "Sensor Aircraft" for the future Sea Control Ship airwing. About 10 proposals were submitted for the first and 19 for the second one.

Fighter projects came from:
Lockheed (an XFV-1 development with delta wing and Allison T56 engine)
Boeing (twin jet tail seater)
Fairchild Republic (a derivative from its US-German AVS design)
Convair Model 200
Grumman Model 607A
LTV V-517
VFW Fokker VAK.191 Mk.3 (A VAK 191B derivative, bigger and more powerful)
McDonnell Douglas Advanced Harrier AV-16
McDonnell Douglas Model 258-52 (A Harrier derivative with Pegasus 15-03)
North American Rockwell NA or NR-356.

The winner was the NA-356 which became the XFV-12 for the USN.

The Convair GD Model 200 was retained as a backup for the XFV-12
Technical Data:
Wingspan: 8,7 m
Lenght: 15,5 m
Empty weight: 8300 Kg
Max TO weight: 13400 Kg
Max Speed: Mach 2
Main engine: P&W JTF22A-30B at 12450 Kg with reheat
Auxiliary engine: 2x RR/Allison XJ99 at 4270 Kg each
Weapons: 1 M-197 20mm gun, 2 x AIM-7 Sparrow, 2 x AIM-9 Sidewinder

The cancellation of the SCS ended the XFV-12 program too.

A conventional derivative called Model 201 competed to VFAX which was awarded to the McDD submission (now the F-18 Hornet).


If anybody is interested in drawings please feel free to send me an email.
Any information about this designs will be wellcome:
Lockheed (an XFV-1 development with delta wing and Allison T56 engine)
Boeing (twin jet tail seater)
Fairchild Republic (a derivative from its US-German AVS design)
LTV V-517
McDonnell Douglas Model 258-52 (A Harrier derivative with Pegasus 15-03)

Still too awesome projects are mentioned by Alexis Rocher in Le Fana:

North American NA-382: A VSTOL Hercules Replacement with 4 GE F101

North American NA-431: A VSTOL S-3 Viking replacement

Any info?

Regards,
Antonio

pometablava said:

The cancellation of the SCS ended the XFV-12 program too.

Click to expand...

It is true that 14,000 ton (Sea Control Ship) was indeed cancelled, although it was followed by a succession of small carrier carrier design studies - notably the 22,000-29,000 ton (Vertical Support Ship) concepts. The end of Admiral Zumwalt's tenure didn't end interest in V/STOL carriers.

However, the Rockwell XFV-12A was complete failure in its own right. To the best of my recollection, the XFV-12 demonstrator wasn't even capable of tethered flight.

Yes, the XFV-12 didn't work. The concept worked ok in scale models but did not scale.


From Air Enthusiast 1972, should be possible to match up with the above

US Navy reduces V/STOL projects for sea control ships to 8;

Lockheed: 24,000lb turboprop-powered tail sitter derived from XFV-1
Boeing: Twin YJ101 tailsitter, 17,000lbs, Mach 2.6
Rockwell: Augmented wing double delta - F401 engine - weighing 20,000lbs (STO) and 15,000lbs (VTO) - Mach 2.4
Fairchild-Republic: F100 engine, rotating XJ99 lift engines, 27,000lbs (STO) and 21,000lbs (VTO)
McDonnell-Douglas: Two Harrier developments; one subsonic with supercritical wing and Pegasus 15, and one Pegasus 15-03 engined, supersonic (Mach 1.6-2.0), takeoff weight 28,000lbs VTO
Grumman: Mach 2.0, F401 engine, 2 XJ99 liftjets ducted to rotating nozzles
General Dynamics: F100 engine, paired XJ99 liftjets ejecting through the bottom of the fuselage
LTV: TF30 engine, paired XJ99 liftjets ejecting through the bottom of the fuselage

I believe the NA-382 and NA-431 were both based on the same principles the XFV-12A was supposed to demonstrate. Its failure pretty well killed them, too. As I remember, there was an article on the NA-382 in a 1975 issue of AW&ST.

Gereral Dynamics and/or Convair !?!

From Aerospace Projects Review Volume 5, Number 2 (Scott Lowther) pg 27 XFV-12A Follow-ons.

US Navy/NASA Ames program for the design of a single-engine supersonic fighter/attack aircraft. February 1982

Submissions:

Rockwell: unknown design number evolved from XFV-12A. (intermediate stages 026E and 035C)

General Dynamics E-7

McDonnell Douglas 279-3

Vought TF120

Hi

I have this picture...

Cool Pic!!

Thanks Sky105.

I can read cirylic alphabet, could you help me identifying this designs?

Reading clockwise

Convair 200A

Unidentified

McDonnell Douglas 260

Unidentified

Rockwell NA430

unidentified

General Dynamics HATOL
Grumman Nutcracker
General Dynamics 310
Grumman 698
Rockwell NA420

In the center: Vought V-530

Thank you very much for the Rockwell NA-430 ASW design. I have read about it in Le Fana de l'Aviation Number 401. This aircraft was based in the XV-12 research. It was an S-3 Viking replacement capable to be operated even from a destroyer flight deck.

Convair 200A
Rockwell
McDonnell Douglas 260
Boeing 1041-133-1
Rockwell NA430
Lockheed
General Dynamics HATOL
Grumman Nutcracker
General Dynamics 310
Grumman 698
Rockwell NA420
Vought V-530

To start a thread about US VSTOL projects means to open a pandoras box! ;D

Sikorsky S-57 with single blade stowed rotor and NASA concept studies for
F-16/F-17 tailsitters with tilting nose (Aviation Week 1960 and 1975 ).

US VSTOL projects from French Magazine "Aviation Magazine International" Number 466 May 1967

Very misterious for me...anybody can add more data?

The Sikorsky has a rotor that retracts for flight, you can see the doors of the bay along the aircraft's back. It sounds too complex to operate. I'm sure it had to be short legged too.

The second design from Lockheed is a "Compound" transport but I can see how it works in VTOL mode... ???

The two prop. Lockheed VTOL is probable a stowed rotor concept.
For the Sikorsky , I'll search my "Air Revue" mag's of the sixties...

Keep up the good work !

Its amazing, the variety of projects documented here. Only scratching the surface still, I'm sure.

The Patriot of American Aircraft Corp. of the one that three versions
were planned: attack and assault ( Mi-24 like), attack and transport.

(source Mechanical Popular edition Chilean March of 1991)

Found a great new source for US Navy secret projects, thanks to SteveO on Keymags forums:


From Sept 1978 issue, a VSTOL article.

Rockwell NA430, Convair Model 200, plus unknown models by manufacturer as indicated by filename

pometablava said:

AW&ST. April 23 1990

Lockheed concept for an advanced STOVL fighter. "The Navy has a tentative requirement for such an aircraft that could be fielded by 2010"

Click to expand...

Interesting!! you can definitely see bits of their JSF entry here.

overscan said:

Don't know much about this one. Pictures sourced online; possibly from an old Aviation Week.

Click to expand...

Wow that brings back memories. There was a book called "Aircraft 1974" that might have been a Jane's volume that I read in elementary school. Had the first image there along with what was intended to be the production Rockwell XFV-12 and was talking about Sea Control Ships. The book also had an artists impression of the YF-16 and a photo of the mockup of the Northrop P.530 Cobra.

Sferrin,

The book you mention is an Ian Allan Ltd publication.
(Aircraft Annual series) Compiller was the late John W.R.Taylor.

This book is still available seccond hand.
You'll never know...

Lark

HATOL/VATOL concepts from various contractors

Gregory,

Both of those concepts (the Boeing 1975 Nutcracker for Sea Control Ship & the 'Boeing supersonic tiltrotor') are outstanding. Where did you find the information and do you have more details?

Regards,

Greg

The F-106X will reminds you of where the Convair 200 come from, if you guys have seen the shape of F-106X. I do think the Convair 200 just redesigned basically on F-106X

rousseau said:

The F-106X will reminds you of where the Convair 200 come from, if you guys have seen the shape of F-106X. I do think the Convair 200 just redesigned basically on F-106X

Click to expand...

Put them side by side and you'll see the resemblance is superficial. Much like the F-15 resembles the Mig-25.

Nice article about XFV-12A can be found in Naval Aviation News, September 1973, pg. 8 - 13.

Hi overscan

These projects participated in what competition?
North American-Tailsitter, Temco Model 39, Convair VLWF & Lockheed CL-295...

Found at the same site

Absolutely fabulous stuff, Grigori. I'm pretty sure they are all known projects, but great drawings.

That last one is a BAE project P116

Yes, but americanized apparently

Thanks a lot Flateric

1976_02208L : Model 260

The top pic of the second batch is the General Dynamics E-7, the second is a Grumman Remote Augmented Lift System design and the last one is the BAe Warton P.112, a model of which is in BSP Fighters. All were studied in the US/UK work of 1986-88.

Hmmm, reminds me a bit of the the VTOL plane depicted in the movie Contact from afar.

flateric said:

Found at NASA Glenn Research Center ImageNet site

Title says VARIABLE STEAM CONTROL ENGINE - MCAIR MCDONNELL AIRCRAFT V/STOL VERTICAL SHORT TAKE OFF LANDING - RI V/STOL - BOEING V/STOL that questions whose stuff it is

​

Click to expand...

The pictures are labelled, I seem to remember that the McAir design uses large geared fans driven off a separate gas generator. The RI design appears competitive with the Vought Tandem-fan designs for the same mission. Oh, is that "Variable Steam Control Engine" or "Variable Stream Control Engine"? The later makes rather more sense, IMHO.

...even more

Thorvic said:

That last one is a BAE project P116

Click to expand...

Any projected performance figures for the P116 (and the P112)?

Hi,

the VTOL aircraft projects from 1957.

Hesham, if you read the article you will see that AV-8SX was a supersonic demonstrator derived from the AV-8A, the drawing you posted is a McDonnell-Douglas proposal for a follow on operational STOVL design.

Hi Mike - sorry for delayed replay. My copy is the stinet one. Doubt Stormingmedia one is any different.

We generally post NASA and stinet reports in appropriate topics like this. Are you thinking of a dedicated library section?

Second one is Republic AP-100
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,542.msg4013.html#msg4013

It's Kentron International's stuff. Looks pretty alike these weird Burt Rutan future fighter concepts. http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,295.msg1732.html#msg1732

Hi,

the California university STOVL aircraft.
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19910008850_1991008850.pdf