Orbiting Aircraft Article and Think Magazine

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TI{URSDAY, AUGUST 4, 1960

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DRAWING DEPICTS THE 66ULTIMATE AIRPLANE.' EIGHT ENGINES WOULD PROPEL

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. 4 1?,000-mile-an-!our airplane that eould fly itself into orbit around- the earth as a trne sateliit"e was described in San Diego Wed4esday by an aircraft industry official.

Alexander Kartveli. an engineer,ing vice president of .Republjc Aviation, discl'osed his"propoial to the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences.

He said his Mach 25 plane -'.juld be bu.ilt within 10 years. It could circtd the (. 0h, escape tempou.?ryi.,*jy,]11-l1y-T,saio,gpyev:e1

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THINK MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 1960

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LOW DRAG BOUNOARY LAYER CONTROL

New lYing, More Distance

'6Ultimate Airplane"

The lower section of the sketch above illustrates the top and side view of a new kind of aircraft wing. (It is shown in comparison with a conventional wing sketched above it.) With this new wing, planes having a normal 4,000-mile range will be able to fly 7,000 miles nonstop, carry an equal

A 1 7,000-mile-an-hour aircraft capable of orbiting the earth is foreseen as the "ultimate airplane" (see above) by Alexander Kartveli, aeronautical designer and vice president of research and development for Republic Aviation Corporation. The ultimate, that is, before aircraft manufacturers become solely concerned with astronau-

payload wilh no fuel increase.

The wing is being developed by the Northrop Corporation of Beverly Hills,

California, under a contract from the

Air Research and Development Com' nd. The principle involved is Low

s"ag Boundary Layer Control, which reduces friction drag on aircraft in flight. The very thin boundary layer of air lies.directly on the aircraft skin, enveloping a flying plane; it is formed by air that is slowed by the passage of the aircraft surface. As it flows back-

ward along the surface,

it

becomes

turbulent. This causes large increases in air friction, creates drag, cuts down the plane's endurance and range.

To reduce this friction and drag, the new wing is slotted and equipped with an air compressor (see sketch). The compressor draws the turbulent bound-

ary layer through the slots, and the air is exhausted backward to provide extra thrust. Thus, a smooth, continuing flow of air is obtained, and friction dras is reduced.

tics.

The plane is described as a "lifting machine with chemical air breathing power plant, carrying substantial military load, capable of taking off from the ground, accelerating to orbital speed, orbiting around the earth and landing on earth when desired." It would also be capable of maneuvering, of changing trajectory and of increasing or decreasing its orbit. Its dimensions: 170 feet long, 33 feet high, wingspan of nearly 99 feet. Propulsion would come from four hydrogen-burning engines in combination with four ramjets. Weight would be some 400,000 pounds; half of this would be liquid hydrogen fuel supply and 20,000 pounds of payload.

As illustrated above, the forward section's shape is determined by a series of massive intake ducts, designed to draw in huge quantities of air and feed internal combustion chambers.

The olane would also be able to carrv

a small "parasite" aircraft which would handle local tactical missions.

Kartveli admits there are problems

to solve before the "ultimate" would fly, but says that sound technical reasons and preliminary research indicate that such an aircraft is feasible. He explained that design consultants had al-

ready done "basic exploratory work" on a supersonic combustion scheme to

power the ultimate aircraft which he envisions.

The Russian-born aeronautical designer and engineer has played a prominent role in the development of more than 14 types of aircraft; these include the P-47 Thunderbolt and a 1,400mile-an-hour all-weather plane now be-

ing built for the U. S Air Force. Kartveli revealed his new design at the national meeting of the Institute of

Aeronautical Sciences in San Diego, California.

At the AIS meeting he cautioned Institute members that a "tragic situation" could develop in the future if designers abandoned their responsibility for new, unique and advanced types of aircraft. Continued creative work in aeronautics, he explained, is demanded by the uncertainty of a potential enemy's intentions, by the unpredictability of tomorrow'5 lssds --! tactical. stratesic or oolitical.