VSX / TS-160: Alternatives to the S-3 Viking

[overscan (PaulMM)]

That is an awesome post @Planejunk1944 ! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Mark Nankivil]

This collection of photos are from three booklets I have and one drafting drawing (67” C 36”) the booklets are volumes 14 (2 one early, one later) and 15. I just found them last week in the Convair file cabinets. Could be more booklets in the cabinets. 75 cabinets and about 100 file boxes. Most stuff in all them are boring technical stuff or related to the CV-880 and CV-990 that belong to my son. He has an awesome aircraft collection, a lot are cockpit sections. Anyway I’ll list as many photos as allowed. Love to help.

Awesome share - thanks!! Mark

 

[RAP]

Convair Model 21.

 

[RAP]

Couple of scans from SDASM of the Model 21.

 

[Scott Kenny]

Greetings All -

I had the chance to spend the day looking thru and scanning stuff from Gerald Balzer's collection and found these images of the McDonnell Model 201 VSX proposal. Check out the segmented flaps...

Enjoy the Day! Mark

Combined reply:

Going through some of my old files of unidentified planes I came across the following two illustrations. Are these versions of the McDonnell Model 201 VSX?

Business jets on an aircraft carrier?

 

[Nell440]

Tony's book only has a paragraph on VSX. I've slung this together for you - it makes the timelines much clearer.


VSX was first circulated in mid-1964, and Lockheed, Douglas and McDonnell were awarded contracts for concept formulation, and submitted their designs in during 1966. This was followed by the release of the Specific Operational Requirement in Winter 1966. Bids were submitted to the official RFP in April 1968, then in August 1968 two teams were asked to refine their designs - Convair / Grumman /IBM and Lockheed / LTV / Univac. The final submissions were made in December 1968 and Lockheed announced as winner on 4 August 1969.

Specific VSX designs known are
General Dynamics Convair Model 21
Grumman G-304
McDonnell-Douglas (McDonnell) Model 201
McDonnell-Douglas (Douglas) MD-893
Lockheed CL-806 (early concept), CL-995 (later concept leading to S-3 Viking).
North American Rockwell VSX (model number unknown)
Vought VSX (model number unknown)
Martin (according to Tony Buttler - seems unlikely as they were out of the aircraft business by then?)

Convair teamed with Grumman for their naval aircraft experience, just as Lockheed teamed with LTV.

Very helpful. Thanks for taking the time to put this together.

 

[hesham]

Greetings All -

Here's a few drawings of the Vought VS(X) Design. Not a bad looking design and if true, then you can see how it was rolled into the S-3 design.

Enjoy the Day! Mark

What was the designation number ?.

 

[Kiltonge]

Quick question: common history is that the name Viking was selected as the result of a staff poll for names.

However, do we know whose staff? The name obviously doesn't follow Lockheed's astronomical nomenclature but does fit better with LTV's ( Pirate, Corsair, Crusader )...

VSX was very 'teamy' overall, once Grumman were eliminated they sent 15 staff to Convair San Deigo to help refine the design.

 

[publiusr]

Viking was used for VIPs, Dubya and others?

I think it was the largest dedicated carrier plane (not Hercules).

 

[Kiltonge]

Snippet from AvWeek 15 Sep 1969 about LTV advising on fuselage design, one of the rare acknowledgements of LTV's input to the design.

The same prime / consultant teaming was to be used on FX, and LTV would take prime for VFX.

 

[Pioneer]

Viking was used for VIPs, Dubya and others?

I think it was the largest dedicated carrier plane (not Hercules).

Sorry publiusr, in all due respect, I think the title for the "largest dedicated carrier plan" still goes to the Douglas A3D (A-3) Skywarrior.

Regards
Pioneer