AvPro Projects

[dragon72]

Couple of pics of a really nice trainer in this lot

 

[dragon72]

Nearly there

 

[dragon72]

And the last two. 89 images in total. The covers carried discriptions of the images but for the most part they're pretty self explanatory. The book contains more information( http://www.amazon.com/Warplanes-Future-David-Oliver/dp/1840650850/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237243383&sr=8-1 )

 

[Abraham Gubler]

If anyone has any idea what is stopping the FSW attack helicopter from spinning let me know. I can't see any tail rotor or other anti-torque device.

It could be a tip powered rotor that would not generate torque.

I don't know about the legitimacy of AvPros concepts. They all seem to be designed for asthetic appeal rather than actuall engineering. You can always tell a real engineering based concept - it is weight balanced for centre of gravity issues - unlike these tip heavy artist drawn concepts.

 

[Woody]

Thanks Dragon 72 - fantastic stuff. Though nothing gets old faster that yesterday's view of the future, some these represent wonderful might have beens - a bit like what would have happened if the dinosaurs hadn't become extinct.

It seams incongruous to uses oil and canvas for engineering concepts but beautiful non the less. Were all the paintings by the same artist?

Looking forward to a time when visionaries (not just corporations) become fashionable again.

Cheers, Woody

PS. what exactly is going on with that UAV, ship, flightdeck, fan thingy? Is it sucking or blowing? ;D

 

[Triton]

The WIG (wing in ground effect) concepts are pretty cool. IIRC, they are named Manta and Marauder in Warplanes of the 21st Century.

Their future Harrier painting made me believe that McDonnell Douglas and BAE Systems were working on a new Harrier and I was thinking that either one of these companies was the source of the art.

I like the winged attack helicopter.

Thanks for sharing the images dragon72. ;D

 

[Jemiba]

Many thanks dragon !
AvPro, I think, was kind of a "think tank", the only design, that could be
called a "project" probably was the exint pod, or maybe the Proteus modular
cruise missile.
My favourite always was the Marauder, are there any dimensions given on those CDs ?

 

[Antonio]

Thanks Dragon72, this pics are fantastic!

 

[Merv_P]

A really interesting archive; thanks for posting these.

 

[Trident]

Ok, I'll bite: what is the point of transporting a blonde in casual clothes and her beauty case around in a personnel pod on a Harrier?!

Someone had to ask!

 

[Triton]

Ok, I'll bite: what is the point of transporting a blonde in casual clothes and her beauty case around in a personnel pod on a Harrier?!

Someone had to ask!

Transporting comfort women to the front lines? Extracting personnel assets involved in honeypot intelligence operations? Joking aside, I wonder if they are attempting to illustrate that the EXINT pod is a comfortable way to fly?

 

[V8Interceptor]

The Exint pod concept wound up in POPULAR MECHANICS. I once asked a USMC AV-8B driver at an airshow what he thought about it. He told me he had heard of the idea but he said the Corps. would never risk a Harrier with that type of mission...I imagine though the system would have come in handy when the RAF had to send AH-64s to extract some Royal Marine Commandos (the famous photo of Commandos hanging on the stub wings)..

 

[yasotay]

Wonderful post. Thanks so much for sharing!

 

[OM]

He told me he had heard of the idea but he said the Corps. would never risk a Harrier with that type of mission...

...One must remember that refusing to risk a Harrier is not the same as refusing to risk a Jarhead in one of those pods. They're crazy enough to ride in one! ;D ;D

 

[Creative]

Thank you for sharing all that dragon I had the book once but lost it during a move.

 

[dragon72]

Ok, I'll bite: what is the point of transporting a blonde in casual clothes and her beauty case around in a personnel pod on a Harrier?!

Someone had to ask!

New way of travelling for the wealthy.

You've tried limos. You've tried executive helicopters. Now try Personal PodTM. Travel into that hot war zone or business meeting in rexaled style via Harrier, attack helicopter or any other craft with a Mil Standard hardpoint. Get yours today.

 

[Jemiba]

"I wonder if they are attempting to illustrate that the EXINT pod is a comfortable way to fly?"

I think, we shouldn't discuss that point too much, otherwise maybe someone could
have an idea ... ;D

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Ok, I'll bite: what is the point of transporting a blonde in casual clothes and her beauty case around in a personnel pod on a Harrier?!

Someone had to ask!

A bit of R&R for the troops, perhaps???

 

[shockonlip]

Thanks Dragon72 !!

Great stuff !!

 

[RavenOne]

Dragon 72

FSW concept from what i saw, would be no different to the NASA / Army S-72 RSRA /X Wing project.

 

[RavenOne]

As far as I know they were a serious company. They had funding from somewhere. The ideas were good but there were no real products.

Funding came from MoD, DoD, the then DERA now Qinetiq. I nearly went for job interview there during my finals at uni when i was studying aerospace systems. Mike Ryan , who was then the joint owner with David Oliver (formerly of Air Forces Monthly) personally rang me up.

 

[donnage99]

anyone got a better quality or another picture of this "super harrier" impression?

 

[dragon72]

Here you go.

 

[Triton]

AVPRO artist's impression representing a BAE Systems Future Offensive Air System (FOAS) strike aircraft concept.

AVPRO artist's impression of Manta WIG landing craft, hydrofoil armored personnel carrier (APC), and umanned reconnaissance aerial vehicle (URAV).

Source:
http://www.zonamilitar.com.ar/foros/fotos-y-videos-de-fuerzas-aereas/11579-fotos-ineditas-y-dificiles-fotos-118.html

 

[OM]

...Excellent finds, Triton! The FOAS one just screams for a FP kit.

 

[mithril]

this is awsome, i've been looking for good images of most of this stuff. in terms of real world, it's garbage..but it make wonderful roleplaying game fodder...

 

[Nik]

I'm still bemused by that WIG (I hope !!) with bow doors and dorsal helipad.

To be honest, most look like concept art for a videogame...

 

[Triton]

I'm still bemused by that WIG (I hope !!) with bow doors and dorsal helipad.

To be honest, most look like concept art for a videogame...

Most of the AVPRO concepts look like they might function for the missions for which they are designed, unlike the designs that seem to make their way into computer/video games and motion pictures created by graphic artists, not aerospace engineers. The AVPRO Manta does seem like a credible WIG design to me. The Manta was designed to operate solely in ground effect (IGE) mode.

Powered by four turbofan engines, the Manta landing craft WIG could travel at speeds of up to 350 mph (565 kmh) carrying a 60-ton payload up to 350 nautical miles. The craft would fly over the sea at an altitude of approximately 15 ft (4.5 m). It can operate in sea states up to level 5.

Source:
Oliver, David and Ryan, Mike. Warplanes of the Future London: Salamander Books. 2003. pp.83-84.

This AvPro Manta WIG craft has the same payload capacity as the Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) hovercraft operated by the US Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, but with greater range and speed. This craft can be operated from the well dock of an amphibious warfare ship.

In addition to operating as a landing craft, the craft can also be used for high-speed maritime transport and search and rescue/MEDEVAC.

In comparison, the maximum payload of the Boeing C-17A Globemaster III is 77 tons.

The LCAC can operate at 30 kts at sea state level 3.

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landing_Craft_Air_Cushion

 

[Triton]

Artist's impression of AVPRO Air Support Catamaran (ASCAT).

The Air Support Catamaran (ASCAT) mini-carrier could operate STOVL aircraft, helicopters, and unmanned combat/reconnaissance aerial vehicles (UC/RAV) close to a beachhead. ASCAT can provide a limited air support capability for low intensity conflicts, where a ground attack, reconnaissance, or air defense capability would be desirable for countries that cannot afford the enormous investment in an aircraft carrier.

Source:
Oliver, David and Ryan, Mike. Warplanes of the Future London: Salamander Books. 2003. p. 106.

 

[Triton]

Artist's impression of AVPRO Stealth Trimaran Aircraft Carrier (STAC) concept.

The 40,000 tonne (44,092 US tons) STAC could operate an air wing of up to 55 aircraft using both ski-jump for STOVL aircraft and a 450 ft (140 m) long diagonal flight deck for launching CTOL aircraft.

The STAC concept has a very low radar cross section (RCS), its profile being that of a small ship, making it extremely difficult to detect. The stealth aspects of the design are meticulous, with every part of the ship's design being scrutinized for maximum effect. To contribute to its low RCS, even the integrated mast on the carrier's superstructure has no exposed moving parts, while exhaust from the ship's engines is vented through the sides of the inner and outer hulls, considerably reducing thermal signature.

The portside flight deck is equipped with an electromagnetic rail launch system for CTOL aircraft operations. At the stern of the ship is a rotating flight lift, known as a Skyrocker, for rapid re-arming and stowing of aircraft, similar in operation to automated car parking systems currently being used in Europe and Japan.

The Trimaran's design allows the STAC to reach speeds in excess of 40 knots and provides greatly stability in high seas, making flight operations safer than currently possible on current monohull carrier designs.

Source:
Oliver, David and Ryan, Mike. Warplanes of the Future London: Salamander Books. 2003. pp. 106-107.

 

[Triton]

Artist's impression of AVPRO Marauder.

The ground attack version of the Marauder used to launch cruise missiles is capable of flying in and out of ground effect even over desert terrain when ingressing and egressing the target.

Powered by two advanced turbofans, the two-seat conventional flight Marauder would be an ideal stealthy maritime strike or close air support platform.

Although the configuration of the Marauder is not suitable to close range dogfighting it could carry stand-off air-to-air missiles such as the AIM-120 or the proposed FMRAAM (Future Medium Range Air to Air Missile).

Source:
Oliver, David and Ryan, Mike. Warplanes of the Future London: Salamander Books. 2003. p. 82.

 

[Triton]

A heavy-weight armed version of the Manta powered by four advanced 7,500shp propfan engines would utilize power augmented ram (PAR) to increase lift and gross take-off weight (GTOW).

Source:
Oliver, David and Ryan, Mike. Warplanes of the Future London: Salamander Books. 2003. p. 86.

 

[Triton]

Artist's impression of twin-engined AVPRO CVTOL-1 Future Carrier-Borne Aircraft (FCBA) concept. CTOL and VTOL variant can be built from the same airframe like the US Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). Note AVPRO STAC aircraft carrier concept seen in the background.

Artist's impression of single-engined AVPRO CVTOL-2 Future Carrier-Borne Aircraft (FCBA) concept. Note AVPRO STAC aircraft carrier concept seen in the background.

 

[Triton]

Artist's impression of AVPRO FOAS-1 aircraft concept that could be produced in single-seat manned or unmanned versions.

Artist's impression of twin-engined AVPRO FOAS-2 aircraft concept that could be produced in twin-seat manned or unmanned versions.

 

[Triton]

Artist's impression of AVPRO X-wing Titan a notional contender for the US Joint Transport Rotorcraft (JTR).

 

[Triton]

Artist's impression of AVPRO Advanced Future Airlift concept, perhaps a notional competitor to the US Advanced Theater Transport.

 

[Triton]

Artist's impression of an AVPRO notional fifth-generation forward-swept wing (FSW) interceptor.

Artist's impression of an AVPRO notional fifth-generation forward-swept wing (FSW) future fighter. I believe that this concept is also known as the AVPRO Rapier.

 

[Triton]

Artist's impression of an AVPRO notional concept of an aircraft to replace the Boeing/BAE Systems Harrier II as part of the Future Carrier-Borne Aircraft (FCBA).

 

[Triton]

Artist's impression of AVPRO Marauder.

Source:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php?topic=12094.0

 

[Triton]

Via Internet Archive:

Avpro is a conceptual design and research company committed to design excellence, and the advancement of aerospace and defence technology.

The company works closely with the UK aerospace and defence industry, and has an excellent working relationship with the UK Defence Evaluations and Research Agency (DERA). These links enable Avpro to offer a custom design service for air, sea and land platforms to customer's requirements and specifications.

The company's conceptual design portfolio ranges from the EXINT Pod rescue system, conceived for the recovery of downed aircrew using the Harrier vertical take off and landing aircraft and Apache helicopter, to the radical stealth trimaran aircraft carrier (STAC) designed to outperform all current aircraft carriers in such parameters as speed, stability, safety and survivability.

Avpro is justifiably proud of its association with the UK armed forces and can offer other governments impartial and professional advice in respect of equipment and military capabilities. The company can also provide direct support to military commanders in developing concepts of operation and tactics for existing and planned forces.

In today's uncertain world Avpro is committed to providing highly innovative concepts which keep defence capabilities ahead of any adversary.

Source:
http://web.archive.org/web/20010214031609/www.avpro.co.uk/Profile.html