Search Results

Since the advent of the helicopter, aviation designers have struggled to develop a practical vertical lift propulsion concept that could combine the vertical takeoff and landing capabilities of the helicopter with the high-speed forward flight capability of a fixed-wing aircraft. During the 1970s, the Soviet Union developed an operational vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) fighter/attack aircraft - the Yakovlev Yak-38 Forger; this and the British/American Harrier were the only operational V/STOL aircraft during the 20th Century. The USSR was also responsible for a plethora of other fixed-wing VSTOL aircraft designs, including numerous designs using lift fans and propeller-driven powered lift concepts. These vertical lift propulsion concepts are catalogued here, each with advantages and disadvantages. Details on the propulsion concepts, development efforts, and lessons learned are included, to the best extent that available information allows.

Since its inception in 1957, the P.1127/Harrier family of aircraft has been produced in a diverse range of variants, from the original ground attack fighter to the naval Sea Harrier and on to the trans-Atlantic Harrier II series. These developments testify to the adaptability of the basic design, but behind the scenes a large number of other versions were projected over the years. This paper will look at those variants that were studied by the original designers of the Harrier family in Hawker Aircraft/Hawker Siddeley/British Aerospace. It will also touch upon variants that were jointly studied within the US/UK partnership with McDonnell Douglas/Boeing that produced the Harrier II, but a later paper on US aircraft will cover those versions that were predominantly US designed.

In recognition of the centennial of manned flight, this perspective on more than 100 years of unmanned flight details some of the major developments in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for combat. Since World War I, UAVs have been used for attacking enemy ships, bunkers, missile sites, and other high value, high threat targets. Up until World War II, however, these combat UAVs were really cruise missiles, as the technology wasn't mature enough to guide weapons on a target and then recover the delivery platform. Over the course of the century, technological progress has only now made the use of UAVs for offensive missions more effective and more affordable than manned aircraft.

The aircraft design team based at Kingston-upon-Thames in England (called variously Hawker, Hawker Siddeley Aviation and British Aerospace over the years) produced a large number of Vertical and/or Short Take-Off and Landing (V/STOL) projects in the 1957-1988 timeframe. The unique feature of their work was that, alone among Western aircraft designers, they had the practical experience of the P1127/Harrier family to draw on throughout the period. This paper presents comprehensive coverage of the studies carried out at Kingston, perhaps the most wide-ranging series of V/STOL combat aircraft projects undertaken by any design team. It excludes the very substantial work carried out under the P1127 and HS1174 (two-seat Harrier) designations throughout the same period – these will be examined in a future paper. Although they explored the full spectrum of technical solutions to the problems associated with V/STOL, Kingston always saw vectored thrust as the preferred one.

In the mid-1950s, the German Luftwaffe began to develop a number of Vertical and/or Short Take-Off and Landing (V/STOL) aircraft as deterrents in a nuclear threat environment. Subsequently, large V/STOL transports were considered as a way of reducing commercial aircraft traffic congestion. Despite extensive design studies, component tests and even flight testing, none of the designs ever reached production. These large V/STOL transport designs are discussed here.

The first powered vertical flight was accomplished less than four years after the first powered horizontal flight was made by the Wright Brothers. But it was not until nearly 30 years later that the first practical vertical takeoff and landing aircraft was flown. By World War II, the problem of achieving practical vertical flight had been solved with the introduction of the helicopter, but higher speeds were desired. Vertical and/or Short Take-Off and Landing (V/STOL) aircraft are intended to combine the vertical take-off and landing capability of the helicopter with the high forward speed of an airplane. The key problems with developing a practical vertical take-off and landing aircraft have been the same as with the early fixed-wing aircraft: high thrust to weight and adequate controllability. This paper looks at the key achievements in vertical flight throughout the 20th century.