Mother Ships, Parasites and More: Bomber, XC Heavy Transport and FICON Studies, 1945-1954 (American Aerospace Archive 5)

[jzichek]

Greetings Forum Members:

I am a small publisher and new participant here, and I wanted to get the word out about our newest publication:



In this bumper-size issue, we revisit the theme of early postwar strategic bomber development (originally covered in Issue 3) and introduces two new subjects: the USAF XC Heavy Transport and Parasite/Missile Carrier as well as selected Fighter-Conveyor (FICON) studies from the early 1950′s. A common thread throughout this issue is the parasite aircraft, a concept which intrigued the Air Force during this period before being made obsolete by advancements in in-flight refueling and other areas. Featuring hundreds of previously unpublished bomber, transport and parasite aircraft studies, this 204 page magazine is copiously illustrated with 258 drawings, artist’s impressions and photos, including 27 in color. Subjects covered include but are not limited to the following:

Bomber & Transport Studies:

-Consolidated Vultee Heavy Bombardment Airplane, Gas Turbine Propelled proposal of 1945 (5 images)
-Douglas Models 1042, 1067 & 1274 Tailless Delta Wing Transports/Airliners (3 images)
-Douglas Model 1064 Tailless Delta Wing Bombers (11 images)
-Douglas Model 1211-J Megapod/Snark Missile/Convair XF-92/Douglas XF4D-1 Carrier (8 images)
-Douglas Model 1211R-45 through 1211X-55 Strategic Bombers—new detailed information
-Lockheed L-191-3 “Team Bomber” (1 image)
-Lockheed L-195 nuclear-powered strategic bombers (3 images).

XC Heavy Transport and Parasite/Missile Carrier Studies:

-Boeing Model 497 XC Heavy Transport and Model 700-1 to -3 bomber/recon parasites (28 images)
-Douglas Models 1240 XC Heavy Transport/1252 medium transport/XC-132 (the main feature—numerous variants, 141 images)
-Douglas Models 1251/1251-A/1256 supersonic parasite bombers (14 images)
-Lockheed L-168 transport, L-208 XC Heavy Transport, and L-209-5 parasite bomber (4 images)

FICON and other Parasite Aircraft Studies:

-North American “Parasite Fighter” and RD-1461 medium bomber/carrier of 1947 (3 images)
-Douglas Model 1126 medium bomber (MX-948)/Convair B-36 Fuel Transfer Study (2 images)
-Douglas Model 1219 supersonic parasite bomber (2 images)
-Douglas FICON studies—B-36 carrying F-80, F-86, F-84, XF-88, XF-90, F-94, F4D, F7U, X-3 parasites (34 images)
-Douglas X-3 parasite studies (11 images)

The printed edition features high quality image reproduction on semi-gloss paper with perfect binding and stiffer cover stock than previous issues—more of a soft cover book than a typical magazine. Also available is a new PDF eBook, which features a special 23 page legal size section reproducing many of the drawings from the main body of the magazine in an uninterrupted landscape format. For a full preview of the contents and to purchase the printed edition, please visit MagCloud. The digital PDF version is available exclusively through our website, AeroArchivePress.com.

I understand that this forum is geared towards WW II and Luftwaffe subjects, but I'm hoping this material on postwar US aircraft research and development may be of interest to some of the members. Please check out our previous issues on the aforementioned sites, covering such diverse subjects as the Martin JRM Mars, the North American FJ-5 fighter (derivative of the F-107), the B-52 competition of 1946, and early McDonnell naval jet fighter studies.

Thank you for reading my post; will try to answer any questions in a timely manner here on the forum.

Best Regards,

Jared Zichek
Editor, The American Aerospace Archive