[Fictional] - Future aircraft designs by Rudolf & Robert Das

[Remko]

I'm a big fan of the works of Rudolf & Robert Das, two well known futurologists from Holland. These twin brothers have published various books in the past twenty or so years, depicting the future of transportation, energy, housing etc. Instead of doing this with elaborate texts, they use magnificent illustrations. Many three-view drawings, and cut-aways can be found in their books.

Here are two of my favourites. The first is a giant airliner. More like a flying passenger ferry. Over 120 meters long, with multiple decks for passengers, cargo and cars. It's fueled by hydrogen, and lands and takes off from water using a hovercraft like skirt. MTWO is about 1,500 metric tonnes. Also note that there is the deignation "Boeing 777" on the tail fin....

Second, a hypersonic transport. This is a design slightly larger than Concorde with two hydrogen powered SCRAMJET engines. It's not an actual aircraft, but rather somekind of HyperSoar. It takes of from a regular airport, launches to a sattelite orbit, and after a few orbits it lands on the designation.

On the ground...

In flight...

 

[Michel Van]

Thanks for picture

here more over 2 genius
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,3906.0.html

 

[Triton]

Is this an amphibian aircraft or an ekranoplane/wingship? The engines on the tail and the turboprop engines remind me of Russian ekranoplanes.

 

[saturncanuck]

I miss ekranoplanes

What ever happened to them?

 

[Remko]

Is this an amphibian aircraft or an ekranoplane/wingship? The engines on the tail and the turboprop engines remind me of Russian ekranoplanes.

Well...

It's fueled by hydrogen, and lands and takes off from water using a hovercraft like skirt.

: :

 

[Jemiba]

"Over 120 meters long"

If those cars in it are some kind of standard cars, I think length
even would be around 200m !

 

[Michel Van]

"Over 120 meters long"

If those cars in it are some kind of standard cars, I think length
even would be around 200m !

the care are this size = 375 x 200x 150 cm
source:
Rudolf Das Robert Das
"Wegen naar de Toekomst" Tirion 1993,
in Dutch language ISBN-90-5121-345-X

 

[Jemiba]

"the care are this size = 375 x 200x 150 cm"

Ah, thank you, then they are smaller than a Golf, but larger than a Smart
and length of the flying ferry would be around 170m, I think.

Such an aircraft could revolutionize mass tourisme .. and warfare ! Who still needs
weapons of mass destruction, if it is cheap enough to send masses of tourists with their
own cars into other countries far away? ;D

 

[Michel Van]

"the care are this size = 375 x 200x 150 cm"

Ah, thank you, then they are smaller than a Golf, but larger than a Smart
and length of the flying ferry would be around 170m, I think.

Such an aircraft could revolutionize mass tourisme .. and warfare ! Who still needs
weapons of mass destruction, if it is cheap enough to send masses of tourists with their
own cars into other countries far away? ;D

warfare ... oh yes in book "Zicht op de Toekomst"
they proposed those Aircraft as launchplatform for hundreds of Cruise Missile
the plane are camouflaged as commercial Cargoplane !
so the enemy has no idea were launch platform is
the Cruise Missile has a total range of over 5500 km
with extra tanks, and severable nosecone with ramjet
how dash supersonic 1500 km at mach 7 to the target
most of the Cruise Missile have not Nuclear Weapon but are only decoy for enemy airdefence

also can those Cargoplane drop mass of Vampire Tanks
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,3906.msg30731.html#msg30731

 

[prolific1]

Wow I have never heard of these guys but I surely wish to do the same at some point. I may not limit my prognostications to aviation but I am definitely a fan of...er...futurism.

 

[Remko]

Wow I have never heard of these guys but I surely wish to do the same at some point. I may not limit my prognostications to aviation but I am definitely a fan of...er...futurism.

If one thing, they have definately not limited there ideas to aviation. One of their ideas for a new style of housing (piramide with various appartments) has been build in my town. It's not exactly as they had envisioned it (cheap, pre-fabricated appartments stuffed in a larger frame) and is actually quite expensive to live in, but nevertheless it's a start. One of the brothers was here when it was opened, and he left a personal quote "My dream has become reality". I have the complete blueprints of this building, and must say, I truly wish I could afford to live there.

They've also made numerous designs of new style windmills, nuclear fusion reactors, advanced fission reactors, giant roadbuilding machines (seen below), innovative bicycles, doubledecker roads for automated cars connected to each other and streamlined for speeds of well over 400 kph.

 

[Michel Van]

If one thing, they have definately not limited there ideas to aviation. One of their ideas for a new style of housing (piramide with various appartments) has been build in my town. It's not exactly as they had envisioned it (cheap, pre-fabricated appartments stuffed in a larger frame) and is actually quite expensive to live in, but nevertheless it's a start. One of the brothers was here when it was opened, and he left a personal quote "My dream has become reality". I have the complete blueprints of this building, and must say, I truly wish I could afford to live there.

They've also made numerous designs of new style windmills, nuclear fusion reactors, advanced fission reactors, giant roadbuilding machines (seen below), innovative bicycles, doubledecker roads for automated cars connected to each other and streamlined for speeds of well over 400 kph.

ahh you life in Houten, Netherlands ?
can you Scan the Blueprints or make photos of that building !?
pleaaasssseeeeeee

by the way the Das look on telecommunication in 1983
came up with vision of mini video cameras and small portable telephone
in other word the Videocam and Mobile phone

the two also look social problems and there solution
in last book they made very radical proposal on Health care, immigration and work

"Toekomst Flitsen - Future Flashes"
Tirion 2004, in Dutch AND English language ISBN-90-4390-540-2 for 20€

 

[Triton]

warfare ... oh yes in book "Zicht op de Toekomst"
they proposed those Aircraft as launchplatform for hundreds of Cruise Missile
the plane are camouflaged as commercial Cargoplane !
so the enemy has no idea were launch platform is
the Cruise Missile has a total range of over 5500 km
with extra tanks, and severable nosecone with ramjet
how dash supersonic 1500 km at mach 7 to the target
most of the Cruise Missile have not Nuclear Weapon but are only decoy for enemy airdefence

Wouldn't such a system have resulted in an accidental shoot down of a commercial cargo and passenger aircraft?

 

[XP67_Moonbat]

Nice artwork!

 

[Simon666]

I'm a big fan of the works of Rudolf & Robert Das, two well known futurologists from Holland. These twin brothers have published various books in the past twenty or so years, depicting the future of transportation, energy, housing etc. Instead of doing this with elaborate texts, they use magnificent illustrations. Many three-view drawings, and cut-aways can be found in their books.

Ah, youth nostalgia. "Wegen naar de toekomst" is the first book I bought for myself. Looking back now though, some of things are a bit over the top, like that plane to transport (among regular passengers) cars. Would be more efficient and environmentally friendly to just rent cars at your destination.

 

[Firefly 2]

warfare ... oh yes in book "Zicht op de Toekomst"
they proposed those Aircraft as launchplatform for hundreds of Cruise Missile
the plane are camouflaged as commercial Cargoplane !
so the enemy has no idea were launch platform is
the Cruise Missile has a total range of over 5500 km
with extra tanks, and severable nosecone with ramjet
how dash supersonic 1500 km at mach 7 to the target
most of the Cruise Missile have not Nuclear Weapon but are only decoy for enemy airdefence

Wouldn't such a system have resulted in an accidental shoot down of a commercial cargo and passenger aircraft?

I can imagine that the use of commercial style camo could result in two possible responses:
- the neutralisation of all possible airplanes that could resemble a cruise missile delivery vector, thus creating the possibility of civilian losses.
- a lag in the reaction time of enemy defenses while they gather information on which aircraft pose an actual threat.

I remember reading these books at the tender age of 15 in the local library of Zaventem, Belgium. Great dreams, but though to realise. The rationale behind the concepts made some sense to me though.

 

[Michel Van]

I can imagine that the use of commercial style camo could result in two possible responses:
- the neutralisation of all possible airplanes that could resemble a cruise missile delivery vector, thus creating the possibility of civilian losses.
- a lag in the reaction time of enemy defenses while they gather information on which aircraft pose an actual threat.

no
first: the Cruise Missile range over 5500 km.
you can launch far outside Soviet territory, like attack fareast coast of Vladivostok start from Hawaii.
second: Rudolf & Robert Das proposal had over 10000 Cruise Missile launch from aircraft
over 10000 warheads at mach 7 low over ground, Wat enemy defenses can stop that ?

 

[Firefly 2]

no
first: the Cruise Missile range over 5500 km.
you can launch far outside Soviet territory, like attack fareast coast of Vladivostok start from Hawaii.
second: Rudolf & Robert Das proposal had over 10000 Cruise Missile launch from aircraft
over 10000 warheads at mach 7 low over ground, Wat enemy defenses can stop that ?

I can imagine defensive capabilities evolving along the same lines as the offensive capabilities. It's the principle of " projectile and armour": any improvement in offense will result in the development ( and maybe fielding) of defensive means against it.