McDonnell XF-85 Goblin
Background
Wikipedia
"The McDonnell XF-85 Goblin is an American prototype fighter aircraft conceived during World War II by McDonnell Aircraft. It was intended to deploy from the bomb bay of the giant Convair B-36 bomber as a parasite fighter. The XF-85's intended role was to defend bombers from hostile interceptor aircraft, a need demonstrated during World War II. McDonnell built two prototypes before the Air Force (USAAF) terminated the program.
The XF-85 was a response to a USAAF requirement for a fighter to be carried within the Northrop XB-35 and B-36, then under development. This was to address the limited range of existing interceptor aircraft compared to the greater range of new bomber designs. The XF-85 was a diminutive jet aircraft featuring a distinctive egg-shaped fuselage and a forked-tail stabilizer design. The prototypes were built and underwent testing and evaluation in 1948. Flight tests showed promise in the design, but the aircraft's performance was inferior to the jet fighters it would have faced in combat, and there were difficulties in docking. The XF-85 was swiftly canceled, and the prototypes were thereafter relegated to museum exhibits. The 1947 successor to the USAAF, the United States Air Force (USAF), continued to examine the concept of parasite aircraft under Project MX-106 "Tip Tow", Project FICON and Project "Tom-Tom" following the cancellation."
Federation
Continued development under the experimental units testing grounds. Will not enter service in foreseeable future.
Controls
Movement
-Throttle Accelerates
-Normal Plane Controls
Weapons
-FireGuns fires machine guns
Specifications
General Characteristics
- Successors 1 airplane(s)
- Created On Mac
- Wingspan 20.6ft (6.3m)
- Length 14.6ft (4.4m)
- Height 12.5ft (3.8m)
- Empty Weight 27,970lbs (12,687kg)
- Loaded Weight 58,928lbs (26,729kg)
Performance
- Power/Weight Ratio 0.572
- Wing Loading 29.7lbs/ft2 (145.1kg/m2)
- Wing Area 1,982.4ft2 (184.2m2)
- Drag Points 2377
Parts
- Number of Parts 44
- Control Surfaces 11
- Performance Cost 333