Lockheed Model L-200 Convoy Fighter. The Original Proposal and Early Development of the XFV-1 Salmon - Part 1

161 Pages·2017·12.002 MB·English

by  Jared Zichek

Contents
Cover
Introduction
L-200 Navy VF Convoy Fighter Design Features
Operational Features of the L-200
Flight Performance
Pilot Operating Procedures
Takeoff and Landing Procedures
Landing Procedure
Takeoff Procedure
Transition Phases of Flight
Cruise and Search Procedures
Combat Procedure
Emergency Procedures
Facilities for Maintenance and Service
Aerodynamics Summary
Part I—Takeoff and Landing Transitions
Transition Control Devices
Takeoff Transition
Slowdown Transition
Descent and Landing
Hovering Stability
Part II—Normal Flight Characteristics
Propeller Selection
L-200 Tactical Airplane Performance
Prototype and Alternate Airplane Performance
Stability and Control
Alternate Design Discussion
Development Program
Design Details
External Arrangement
Internal Arrangement
Cockpit Arrangement
Power Plant
Airplane Landing Provisions
Armament
Electronic and Electrical Provisions
Control System
Hydraulic System
Air Conditioning System
Basic Structure
Wing Design
Fuselage Design
Empennage Design
L-200 Production Features
Production Breakdown
Shipping
Producibility
Minimum Man-Hours
Economy in Tooling and Floor Space
Subcontracting and Expandability
Critical Materials
Production Research
Fuselage
Wing
Empennage
Power Plant Installation
Electronic Equipment
Weight and Balance Analysis
Conclusions
Cockpit Mock-up
Introduction
Section I— Mock-up Design
Section II— Pilot’s Tilting Seat
Section III—Cockpit Arrangement
Free Flight Model Tests
Introduction
Description of the Model and Test Equipment
Conventional Model
L-200-1 Model
Display Model Photos
Other Publications
Imprint
Cover: At the top is a contemporary artist’s impression of the Lockheed Model L-200 Navy VF (Visual Fighter)
Convoy Fighter proposal of 1950, which ultimately led to the XFV-1 Salmon. The proposal differed from the XFV-1 in
several respects, most notably in having a tail with only three surfaces and an eight-bladed propeller. Below this is a
speculative color profile of the L-200-1, the tactical version of the Convoy Fighter. The overall Glossy Sea Blue
scheme was the standard for most US Navy aircraft of the early 1950s; markings are inspired by the actual XFV-1
prototype.
Introduction
The Lockheed Model L-200 was one of five proposals submitted to the US Navy
Convoy Fighter competition of 1950, which called for a high performance
turboprop VTOL fighter to protect convoy vessels from attack by enemy aircraft.
Other participants included Convair, Goodyear, Martin and Northrop, whose proposals
have been covered in previous volumes. This book reproduces part of Lockheed’s
original proposal for what became the XFV-1 Salmon; the second volume will cover
the remainder of the proposal along with the aircraft’s early development with NACA.
The idea of a turboprop tailsitter fighter emerged in the late 1940s, with the US
Navy Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) beginning to seriously examine the feasibility of
developing a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) tailsitter aircraft to protect convoys,
task forces, and other vessels. These specialized interceptors would be placed on the
decks of ships to provide a rapid defensive and reconnaissance capability until
conventional carrier-based fighters could arrive and assist. The Battle of the Atlantic
was fresh in the minds of Navy planners, who were concerned that the Soviets would
engage in a similar campaign against merchant shipping if the nascent Cold War erupted
into open conflict. BuAer’s interest in a VTOL tailsitter fighter coincided with the
development of new turboprop engines which provided enough horsepower to make the
concept a reality.
BuAer’s Outline Specification for Class VF Airplane (Convoy Fighter) OS-122
was dated 10 July 1950. It listed the requirements for such an aircraft along with a scale
demonstrator to verify the soundness of the concept. The document was distributed to
the major aircraft manufacturers of the day, with the aforementioned companies
responding in late November 1950. The products of this competition, the Convair XFY-
1 Pogo and Lockheed XFV-1 Salmon, never made it beyond the prototype stage, as they
proved to be very difficult to land, suffered from power plant reliability issues, and
were eclipsed in performance by contemporary jet fighters. They became historical
curiosities, regularly making the list of world’s worst/strangest aircraft, an ignominious
end for a program initiated with such high hopes at the beginning of the 1950s.
Cover to the Lockheed Convoy Fighter preliminary design summary report dated 10 November 1950.
L-200 Navy VF Convoy Fighter Design
Features
In addition to general design work to fulfill the requirements of BuAer
Specification OS-122, Lockheed instigated and completed a research program which
included powered wind tunnel tests, a free flight powered model, and a movable
cockpit mock-up. These programs assisted in evaluation the magnitude of the problems
in making a vertical rising high performance airplane and suggested several possible
solutions for the major design problems. Since the problem was unconventional and
would involve a considerable research program before a successful airplane was
developed, it was difficult to select any one complete design which fulfilled the
specification ideally in all categories. As a result, this proposal, although showing one
final design, presented alternate designs which had unique advantages. These, for the
most part, were accompanied by unknown features which required further research to
confirm their feasibility. Lockheed hoped to study these alternate design ideas and
institute research programs during the first phases of a further design investigation in
order to achieve additional desirable features in the final airplane.