Interesting Idea

Riksbar · September 25, 2007, 01:29:17 PM

A quote from a thread on ARC forums

QuoteA little off topic but I have always wondered if you took two of the powertrain of the F-35B STOVL and used them to create a twin engined STOVL a do-it-all airplane what it would look like? I'm thinking:

Carrier, COD, AWAC's, ASW, ECM

Land Based: SOF Transport, Gunship, etc..

With the thrust from the JSF engine it might just work. I have a vision of something like a 21st century HS.681. Any thoughts?

Rafael · September 25, 2007, 02:29:03 PM

I've been wondering about the same thing lately.

And arrived at the same conclusions about roles.

Should be a great build.

Now, what size airplane?

Rafa

Hobbes · September 25, 2007, 11:47:38 PM

According to Globalsecurity, the engine delivers up to 39,700 lb/18 tons of vertical thrust, so that gives a limit for vertical landing weight. Max takeoff weight of the F-35B is 60,000 lb/27 tons with a takeoff distance of 550 ft/170 m, so that's a limit for the MTOW.
A Transall has a MTOW of 112klb/49 tons...

Hobbes · September 26, 2007, 01:28:11 PM

Another thought. In the F-35B, the engine can provide 26,000 shp for the lift fan. That would make this engine the ultimate turboprop, beating the NK-12 by some 10,000 shp. Even better, it provides 26 kshp PLUS 80 kN of thrust. I'm having visions of a tractor puller powered by one of these :dum:

Rafael · September 26, 2007, 02:49:14 PM

And following Hobbes idea.....

What about a combination reactor/tilting prop? :dum:

Should give the aircraft some more thrust for short/VTOL operation....

Rafa

noxioux · September 27, 2007, 05:22:04 PM

Having failed in my ambitious project to convert an f-106 into a twin-engined bird, I'd be more than a little interested to see you pull this one off--as long as you dressed it up in proper USMC regalia. . . .

Archibald · September 28, 2007, 06:18:17 AM

QuoteA quote from a thread on ARC forums

QuoteA little off topic but I have always wondered if you took two of the powertrain of the F-35B STOVL and used them to create a twin engined STOVL a do-it-all airplane what it would look like? I'm thinking:

Carrier, COD, AWAC's, ASW, ECM

Land Based: SOF Transport, Gunship, etc..

With the thrust from the JSF engine it might just work. I have a vision of something like a 21st century HS.681. Any thoughts?

Excellent! A four F-135 / F-136 STOL cargo would be awesome.

But you'll have to buy four Italeri X-35s...

You can modify a Hercules! Result would be rather similar to the NAR-356 of 1975, a XVF-12ised Hercules by Rockwell...

GTX · September 29, 2007, 11:25:48 AM

I must admit that I've had a similar idea to this for a long time - take the complete propulsion/lift system from the F-35 and put in a transport aircraft. The man probalem would be trying to arrange some sort of cross-over system to ensure that if one side lost power during the VTOL stage, you were able to still land safely. Of course, one could not worry and simply rely on the reliability of modern engines.

Regards,

Greg

Archibald · September 29, 2007, 11:37:04 AM

QuoteI must admit that I've had a similar idea to this for a long time - take the complete propulsion/lift system from the F-35 and put in a transport aircraft. The man probalem would be trying to arrange some sort of cross-over system to ensure that if one side lost power during the VTOL stage, you were able to still land safely. Of course, one could not worry and simply rely on the reliability of modern engines.

Regards,

Greg

I'll go for your last sentence GTX

I think modern engine are reliable enough, no need for a heavy "cross over" system.

I really think we can modify a Hercules for this role... at least it would be easy to find a 1/72 scale model of this aircraft.

Maybe one can butcher Italeri X-35, I mean just keep the body of the aircraft and hang four of them below the wings of a cargo. Would look rather odd...