Lockheed L-301
Lockheed L-301 (sometimes called the X-24C, though this designation was never officially assigned) was an experimental air-breathing hypersonic aircraft project. It was developed by the NASA and United States Air Force (USAF) organization National Hypersonic Flight Research Facility[1] (NHFRF or NHRF[2]), with Skunk Works as the prime contractor. In January 1977, the program was "tentatively scheduled to operate two vehicles for eight years and to conduct 100 flights per vehicle."[3] NASA discontinued work on L-301 and NHRF in September 1977 due to budget constraints and lack of need.[1]
Development
The X-24C-L301 was a scaled-up derivative of the Martin X-24C project that was to have been a hypersonic follow-on to the X-15 and X-24 (specifically the X-24B) programs, to take lessons learned from both and integrate them into an airframe capable of at least reaching Mach 8 and engaging in hypersonic skip-glide maneuvers for long range missions. The vehicle would have used both air breathing ram or scramjet propulsion as well as a rocket engine, carrying both RP-1 and LH2 propellant as well as on-board stores of LOX. The X-24C-L301 languished at the design phase when the X-24C project was shelved in September 1977 due a tight NASA budget.[4]
Design
Propulsion
Originally intended to carry the same XLR-99 engine used by the X-15, the primary engine was changed to the LR-105, which was the sustainer engine used on the Atlas launcher. This rocket engine, burning RP-1 and LOX, was intended to accelerate the X-24C to hypersonic speeds in order to ignite the hydrogen fueled, air breathing ram/scramjet mounted in the belly of the airframe with which it would attain cruise speeds of at least Mach 6 and peak velocities of Mach 8+ at altitudes of Script error: No such module "convert". or more. As such, this vehicle was plainly not intended to reach orbit.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Airframe
Design of the aircraft in various wind tunnel models and contractor drawings seems to follow variations of the FDL-5 and FDL-8 lifting body shapes originally developed by the USAF Flight Dynamics Laboratory in the 1950s, which were used in the earlier X-23 and X-24A/B programs. With a radically swept delta wing, and 2, 3, or 4 vertical stabilizers, as well as several body flaps (depending on the model), the vehicle did not lack for control surfaces. The vehicle measured Script error: No such module "convert". long, Template:Cvt wingspan, and Template:Cvt height.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Various drawings show a payload bay Script error: No such module "convert". long and perhaps Script error: No such module "convert". diameter.[5]
References
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- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". ["X-24C NHRF"]
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". [CONFIGURATION DEVELOPMENT STUDY OF THE X-24C HYPERSONIC RESEARCH AIRPLANE - PHASE II]
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ NASA.govScript error: No such module "Unsubst".
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Further reading
- Miller, Jay. The X-Planes: X-1 to X-45. Hinckley, UK: Midland, 2001.
- Rose, Bill, 2008. Secret Projects: Military Space Technology. Hinckley, England: Midland Publishing.
External links
- Operators’ reference drawing [1], [2], [3]
- Encyclopedia Astronautica
- Publicly archived Air Force picture
- Nasa Archives- X-24C Phase 3
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