McDonnell Douglas hypersonic designs

[Tuomasn]

Size comparison of various McDonnell Douglas hypersonic aircraft designs:
- (F-4E Phantom II for scale)
- Model 192 ISINGLASS Mach 20 boost-glide reconnaissance aircraft variant from circa 1966
- Mach 6 GIUK Gap Interceptor circa 1971
- MD-2001 "Orient Express" Mach 4.5 hypersonic passenger transport circa 1985
- D5.0-15A Mach 5 hypersonic passenger transport circa 1989
- MAS-H-022N original Mach 10 Global Reach study strike/reconnaissance aircraft circa 1992
- DF-9 final NASA/USAF study Mach 10 strike/reconnaissance aircraft circa 1998

 

[Tuomasn]

More of the D5.0-15A hypersonic commercial transport:

There's some more info of this design in US Transport Projects #02.

 

[Tuomasn]

McDonnell Douglas MAS-H-022N Mach 10 hypersonic cruiser strike/recce concept from around 1991-1992. More info also in Configuration design of a hypervelocity cruise vehicle AIAA paper. This was one of the first versions for USAF Global Reach studies derived from NASP work in the late 1980s and early 1990s.


Mach 6-10 scramjet flight inlet and nozzle configuration.

Mach 0-6 turboramjet flight inlet and nozzle configuration.

 

[publiusr]

Outstanding!

 

[archipeppe]

More of the D5.0-15A hypersonic commercial transport:

Fantastic job!

I have several questions:

1. Did you have a 3-views of the MD D5.0-15A

2. Did it was the forerunner of the dubbed "MD-2001" and later "Orient Express"?

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/mcdonnell-douglas-md-2001-orient-express-hypersonic-transport.17468/

3. Did you have the general dimensions for such layout.

Thanks in advance.
Giuseppe

 

[flateric]

Fantastic job!

I have several questions:

1. Did you have a 3-views of the MD D5.0-15A

Source is listed actually - this is Scott's USTP02 https://up-ship.com/blog/?p=27149

 

[xstatic3000]

Fantastic work - thank you for sharing this with us!

 

[GeorgeA]

Source is listed actually - this is Scott's USTP02 https://up-ship.com/blog/?p=27149

NASA HSCT program report on the Douglas variants, including the D5.0-15A: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19900004054

 

[Tuomasn]

Thank you all for the encouragement!

1. Did you have a 3-views of the MD D5.0-15A

As flateric already noted, I used US Transport projects #02 as source. However it seems Scott probably based it on the NASA report GeorgeA linked.

2. Did it was the forerunner of the dubbed "MD-2001" and later "Orient Express"?

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/mcdonnell-douglas-md-2001-orient-express-hypersonic-transport.17468/

Actually the other way around, MD-2001 aka Orient Express is from circa 1984-1986, whereas this design is from around 1989.

NASA HSCT program report on the Douglas variants, including the D5.0-15A: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19900004054

Huge thanks for this, very interesting! Actually looks like it was posted on the US Supersonic Transport(SST) Program post-1971 thread ages ago, but obviously the NASA links have gotten broken.

 

[Orionblamblam]

As flateric already noted, I used US Transport projects #02 as source. However it seems Scott probably based it on the NASA report GeorgeA linked.

Probably? Definitely. Why wasn't it referenced in the text? Ummmm.... gremlins. Maybe ChiCom operatives. It certainly wasn't laziness or forgetfulness, nosirree.

 

[Tuomasn]

The Boeing DF-9 was the final 1998 version of the USAF and NASA Global Reach studies started with the MAS-H-022N Mach 10 cruiser. First variant of the dual fuel (hydrogen and JP-7) studies was the DF-7, of which the X-43A was a scale model. DF-9 added space launch as a mission in addition to reconnaissance and strike cruise missions.



A few comparison shots with the MAS-H-022N. Note the different payload bay to accommodate an upper stage and the simplified propulsion arrangement.

 

[xstatic3000]

Absolutely fantastic work - thanks again for sharing your work with us!

 

[Tuomasn]

Nice to hear! I've got something more on the earlier designs of the first post in a bit different format coming very soon...

 

[Archibald]

You are going to CGI ISINGLASS ??

 

[Desert Watchdog]

You are going to CGI ISINGLASS ??

ISINGLASS actually brought me to this forum, looking up some of my pop's old papers after he retired, would be nice to see a refreshed concept.

 

[Tuomasn]

The Model 192 game/simulator I teased above is now available for testing. I started a separate thread in the bar, please take a look!

 

[Tuomasn]

Around 1991-1992 McDonnell Douglas conducted a study for a Space Capable Aircraft or SCA that would combine the roles of a single-stage-to-orbit and high speed cruiser vehicle to one aircraft. Both an operational SSTO (basically NASP Composite Configuration 201A) and a hypersonic cruise aircraft (basically Global Reach Mach 10 cruise vehicle configuration MAS-H-022N) were studied as baseline vehicles. Adding the necessary systems to the cruiser for SSTO would have doubled its takeoff weight, whereas the SSTO vehicle could be adapted for cruise missions mostly with some engine changes for better throttling that increased takeoff weight only by about 10 percent.

Source: NASP derived vehicles - Not just to space (AIAA-92-5020). Some of the drawings from the paper have been posted here.