Thanks guys! As I said earlier on, there are a few inconsistencies that I want to address in these designations lists, and you pinpointed one: both the CL-1026 and -1090 appeared in one of my sources as respectively a "30-seat civil derivative of the AH-56" and a "90-seat civil helicopter" (which you've confirmed) and in the other source as a "projected civil version of GALAXY with 30 seats" and a "projected civil GALAXY with 80 (95?) seats, 36-ton capacity". Confusing isn't it? Yet the 36-ton GALAXY should have warned me: that's a bit light for such a big bird!
Other sources of doubt and/or confusion:
- L-149 appears in some sources for the CONSTELLATION, a probable confusion with the Model 149.
- L-151 appears on Andreas' website as the designation of the PTV-A-1 ramjet test vehicle (later X-7) while in fact it was L-171 (L-151 was an unbuilt airliner project)
- L-199 appears as the VG-STARFIRE and L-204 as a series of other STARFIRE-based designs while in another source they are inverted (I believe this is the correct one)
- L-206 sometimes appears as the YC-130 HERCULES while other sources give it as a pre-HERC design with removable cargo pod
- L-330 is given as a projected T2V variant while CL-330 is supposed to designate the VZ-10A (XV-4A) HUMMINGBIRD (L-331 being the XV-4B)
- CL-351 is either given as a STARFIGHTER-related project or as the U-2R (TR-1) DRAGON LADY
- CL-800 is either given as a variant of the ELECTRA or a four-jet transport based on the STARLINER
CL-900 is either given as an ORION-related project or an early LANCER project
- L-1400 is found either as an AX competitor of the YA-9A and YA-10A attack aircraft or as a variant of the LANCER
While it seems to be established that both Lockheed AND its Vega division had Temporary Design Numbers AND Model Numbers of their own, major confusion exists when the various sources refer to the VENTURA/HARPOON variants. Models 15, 21, 23, 37, 43 and even 56 are found... but most sources get mixed up between Lockheed and Vega models:
- The HARPOON was apparently both the Vega Model 15 AND the Lockheed Model 43.
- The VENTURA was apparently both the Vega Models 21 and 23 (B-34 versions), but also the Vega Model 37 (PV-1) OR the Lockheed Model 37 (although a confusion with the B-37 military version is also possible).
- The Model 56 seems definitely like a confusion with the O-56 designation, which refered to what became the B-37 (later RB-34B).
- The Vega V-125 (Vega Model 35) was the former North American NA-35 trainer... but it is also given by several sources as the Lockheed Model 35!
- The Vega-built Boeing B-17E production appears as the Model 17, but for some it was a Vega designation, while for others it was a Lockheed one!
- Even the NEPTUNE is complicated, being refered to as the Lockheed Model 26 while it was Vega's V-146 design!
- The Vega-designed aerial targets are found as both the Vega Models 40 to 42, or the Lockheed Models 40 to 42!
On the postwar side, I have trouble with the AerMacchi/Lockheed L-402 CONESTOGA, which is also designated as the LASA-60. Some sources describe this as the Model 60, while for others the Model 60 was a proposed twin-engine trainer. Also Models 73 and 79 sometimes appear as variants of the NEPTUNE, while other sources claim these designations were reserved for Lockheed-Georgia... Same for the L-146 SATURN, which was both the Models 75 and 77 (according to Jay Miller's Skunk Works book) while "77" is said elsewhere to have been reserved for Lockheed-Georgia...
On top of all this, Lockheed apparently re-used some of its unused Model Numbers, as they did with Model 90, which was initially allocated to the L-130 long-range bomber proposal, then was reassigned to the XF-90 interceptor (an easy way to memorize it, the way that Model 80 applied to the XP-80).
Of course, any help, ideas, comments, hints, and so forth are encouraged!!!
