Northrop Laser Fighter

[BillRo]

Found this in a Northrop briefing. Perhaps related to this: http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,10778.msg101821.html#msg101821

 

[Grey Havoc]

Intended for taking down airborne command posts, AEW, Tankers and the like, I'd bet.

 

[Sundog]

Now that's cool.

The odd thing is, I was working on a design with similar inlets, but with diverterless inlets and much closer to the fuselage. I was using them, the "pod volume" to increase fuel fraction, since everyone seems to be designing fighters consistently these days with that fraction too small. I used a horizontal S duct and the engines are next to each other in the fuselage. I was also doing it to use the pods to shield the inlets from below, while possibly offering good high AOA capability. From the top the fuselage kind of looked like the Mach 5 from speed racer in planform, but with the center fuselage much longer in the front.

 

[Kryptid]

Are the apertures for firing the laser beams located in the "noses" of the nacelles? It would be nice to see a 3-view of this design.

The odd thing is, I was working on a design with similar inlets, but with diverterless inlets and much closer to the fuselage. I was using them, the "pod volume" to increase fuel fraction, since everyone seems to be designing fighters consistently these days with that fraction too small. I used a horizontal S duct and the engines are next to each other in the fuselage. I was also doing it to use the pods to shield the inlets from below, while possibly offering good high AOA capability. From the top the fuselage kind of looked like the Mach 5 from speed racer in planform, but with the center fuselage much longer in the front.

I'd like to see that, myself.

 

[siegecrossbow]

Interesting interceptor design. I think the name "laser" must've referred to the lightning fast speed that this bird is capable of achieving.

In the future we may get ultra-fast, unmanned interceptors capable of reaching the edge of space. They may be used as ASAT platforms (laser/ASAT missiles) or high speed surveillance platforms.

 

[Orionblamblam]

I think the name "laser" must've referred to the lightning fast speed that this bird is capable of achieving.

Unlikely. I believe it refers to actual laser weapons. The cones look a lot like the cones that were to be fitted to the laser-weapon equipped F-111... and they otherwise don't make much sense. Unless those cones are for something *really* important and quite unusual, they are just making a mess of the propulsion system.

 

[Lauge]

....the laser-weapon equipped F-111....

Huh? A friggin' F-111 with a friggin' laser? What exactly was that (I tried searching the forum, but no dice)?

Regards & all,

Thomas L. Nielsen
Luxembourg

 

[BillRo]

Pretty sure it was armed with a laser. The title on the chart was New Operational Concepts" and included Bud Nelson's air-launched fighter. We had a guy in the group who was a laser fanatic.

 

[Orionblamblam]

A friggin' F-111 with a friggin' laser? What exactly was that (I tried searching the forum, but no dice)?

I put a little bit on the "LF-111" in issue V1N5 of Aerospace Projects Review: http://www.up-ship.com/eAPR/ev1n5.htm

 

[siegecrossbow]

I think the name "laser" must've referred to the lightning fast speed that this bird is capable of achieving.

Unlikely. I believe it refers to actual laser weapons. The cones look a lot like the cones that were to be fitted to the laser-weapon equipped F-111... and they otherwise don't make much sense. Unless those cones are for something *really* important and quite unusual, they are just making a mess of the propulsion system.

That is very interesting. Were they going for solid state lasers on the plane? What were its intended targets?

Seems like the plane is still capable of very fast speeds though. They've got devices on the wingtip which would stabilize the plane at high speeds.