The USN's effort to field a carrier-borne jet competitive with land-based types was a long one. While the USAF had the swept-wing F-86 operational well before Korea, the Navy was still integrating straight-wing jets into carrier operations, and it would not be until the mid-1950s that swept wings went to sea. Among the first of these was McDonnell's F3H Demon, contracted in September 1949. On paper, it appeared to be a much more formidable aircraft than the F2H Banshees then in service, and the F3H first flew in August 1951. However, it was soon realized that the Demon's Westinghouse J40 engine was severely underpowered.

The F3H was not the only aircraft program hurt by the failure of the J40, but wartime pressure led the USN to place an order for production F3H-1s. These were not completed in time for the Korean conflict, with many ending up being used as training hulks without ever having been flown. In the postwar period the aircraft was redesigned to use the somewhat better Allison J71, and the F3H-2s (from 1962 F-3Bs) served until 1964 before giving way to the F-4 Phantom II.

Grumman's first attempt at an Avenger replacement, the Model 55 design appeared just a year after the first production TBFs began arriving. Somewhat resembling Grumman's S2F Tracker of a decade later, the XTB2F would have been a much larger A/C than the Avenger, with two R-2800 engines on a high mounted wing.

The tricycle-gear A/C was projected as a multi-role type, able to carry a pair of torpedoes internally, but alternative warloads included two tons of bombs in the bomb bay, with the ability to carry another ton on underwing pylons. Defensive armament would have included dorsal and ventral turrets each with a pair of .50-cal MGs, in addition to guns in the nose and wings.

The XTB2F got as far as the mockup stage, but the order for two prototypes would be cancelled when it looked likely that the type's performance would be inadequate. In any case, the XTB2F would be too large for operations from Essex class carriers, and would even be a tight fit aboard the larger Midway class ships as built.

Victor History

The Handley-Page Victor was the last of the RAF’s V-Bombers to see service, bowing out in the early 1990s, although by that time the surviving aircraft had long been converted to drogue tankers.Overshadowed to some degree by the delta-winged Vulcan, the Victor was nevertheless a very advanced machine for the time, with a crescent wing derived from German research. The HP.80 prototype was followed by fifty B.1 production versions with Sapphire engines, with some of these being updated as B.1As and then shifted to the tanker role as K.2P, K.1, and K.1A tankers. The later B.2 version had Conway engines and was strengthened for low level work.

Even before the V-Bombers entered service, it was recognized that improving Soviet air defenses would eventually dictate the use of standoff weapons, and to meet this need, Avro developed the Blue Steel missile. Powered by a Stentor liquid rocket engine and armed with a Red Snow warhead, Blue Steel was a physically large weapon, and only one could be carried by a Vulcan or Victor. Blue Steel had a maximum range from high altitude launches of around 100 miles; this declined to as little as 25 miles at low level. The ramjet-powered Mk.2 version of the Blue Steel was terminated in favor of buying the American Skybolt; Skybolt’s later cancellation left Blue Steel as Bomber Command’s only standoff weapon, and it continued in service until 1970.

A total of nine B.2s were fitted out for reconnaissance as SR.2s. Withdrawn as bombers, some B.2s were converted to tankers in the 1970s to replace the retiring K.1/K.1As, and served during the Falklands and Gulf War before retiring in 1993.

There were numerous plans for improved Victors; a highly swept supersonic version had been sketched out before the basic aircraft had even entered service, this proposal later giving way to a variant combining the B.2’s tail and wings with a new area ruled fuselage. Also looked at was a low altitude version with a reduced wingspan and the tail moved downwards, as well as an ALBM carrier version with four under wing missile pylons.

A 1/144 scale resin kit of the Victor B.2 is available from Anigrand Craftswork, while an injection molded 1/72 scale model was made by Matchbox.

This is more than just a book of aircraft cutaways - author Gunston provides a look back at the aviation press of the day that is quite interesting. Cutaways were not meant merely to fill out pages - in a country that was depending on its air force in large part to survive and carry the fight to the enemy, rapidly bringing a degree of familiarity with the basics of aviation technology to the layman was important. The preponderance of newly-inducted servicemen had never seen an aircraft prior to putting on a uniform, and were now expected to distinguish between friendly and enemy types, and many had to maintain flying machines all over the world - there was the need to de-mystify powered flight.

Gunston provides a capsule history of each type covered, and an assessment of the drawings provided - vintage illustrations from 1930s-40s issues of The Aeroplane and Flight. Artists had more than mere deadlines to meet - they often had to work in less than ideal conditions, with oftentimes minimal exposure to the real thing, and with security restrictions on what could be shown. Gunston was simultaneously a longtime aviation journalist and author and an RAF veteran who took many of the depicted aircraft aloft, and his perspective from both angles is a valuable one.

Long to mature and only in service for a relatively short time, the Wyvern was the only single engined turboprop strike type to enter service with any naval air arm. Planning for the type actually began in 1944, as the W.34 long range fighter to be powered (initially) by a Rolls-Royce Eagle piston engine. This did not fly until late 1946, far too late for wartime use, and only a few of the derived Wyvern TF.1s were built. Attention then shifted to developing the type with a turboprop engine as a torpedo strike aircraft, and this led to the TF.2 evaluation variant that flew with both the Python and Clyde engines. The former was chjosen for the production TF.4/S.4, but engine problems kept the Wyvern from operationally deploying aboard ship until a good decade after the program had started.

The Wyvern was to have a short service life; No. 813 Squadron converted to the type in the spring of 1953, but the unit would not make a carrier deployment (aboard HMS Albion) until the following autumn. No.830 Squadron flew combat missions with the type during the Suez operation, from HMS Eagle; in the course of some 79 sorties, a pair of Wyverns were lost to Egyptian AAA, although both crewmen were recovered. This would be the only action seen by the type, as No. 830 disbanded shortly after Suez, with No. 813 following suit in April 1958. Today, the only surviving Wyvern is TF.1 VR137, preserved at Yeolvilton.

One of the Wyvern's primary roles in wartime would have been attacking Soviet Sverdlov class cruisers; these large surface combatants posed a large threat to Western shipping in the North Atlantic, especially given the rundown of the postwar RN carrier force. Conclusively dealing with a Sverdlov required a large weapon, and a Wyvern was used for trials of such a munition - the Red Angel, a half-ton unguided rocket some ten feet long and fitted with an armor-piercing warhead.

Curtiss was the predominant American fighter manufacturer in 1940, but less than a decade later the company had exited the airframe business altogether. The P-40 had much to do with this fall from grace, as Curtiss was to spend far too much time and effort attempting to improve what was, at heart, becoming a very outdated design.

Early plans for a P-40 outgrowth centered around the Model 88/XP-53 project, which would have been powered by a Continental XIV-1430 engine. This never made it to the flying stage, and the two XP-53 prototypes were not completed as such. The effort then shifted to the Merlin-powered XP-60, which combined new laminar flow wings with the fuselage of the #2 XP-53. This aircraft was later rebuilt to XP-60D configuration with a Merlin 61, before crashing in May 1943.

The XP-60A had the V-1710-75 engine and the new wing; only one of the 26 projected YP-60A service test machines was completed (as the R-2800-18 powered YP-60E, with a bubble canopy) and none of the nearly two thousand production P-60As contracted for ended up being built. The XP-60B was to have had a Wright turbocharger-equipped V-1710, but was instead completed as the R-2800-10 powered XP-60E. And finally, the XP-60C was intended to be powered by the Chrysler XIV-2220, but flew instead with an R-2800-53.

The last of Consolidated's wartime flying boats, the Model 31 was flown in May 1939; an attractive design, this boat had a Davis Wing and twin tail, as on the company's B-24. Foreseeing that there would be little market for a commercial version in a world that was rapidly spiraling into a global conflict, Consolidated offered a military version as the XP4Y-1 long range patrol type, capable of hauling two tons of ordnance externally, with a 37mm cannon in the nose and .50-cal weapons in the tail and dorsal positions. An order for 220 aircraft was placed but later cancelled as the B-29 program had priority for the supply of the R-3350 Cyclone engines that both aircraft used.

History: Although procurement of a navalized Spitfire had been proposed before the war, no action was immediately taken, and the Fleet Air Arm had to enter the conflict equipped with obsolete types; it would not be until early 1942 that the first "hooked Spitfires" went to sea. The Spitfire airframe was not ideally suited for carrier use; tailhooks caused fuselage damage on landing, landing gear often collapsed, and pilot visibility on carrier approaches was marginal. These shortcomings notwithstanding, the Seafire gave the FAA a much needed high performance fighter type that could meet Axis aircraft on an equal footing. However, the Seafire would have some serious drawbacks - the narrow track undercarriage and lightweight airframe were not really suited for the rigors of landing on pitching and rolling decks, and the type's short range meant that the type was only suitable for for operations in the vicinity of the fleet.

Variants: Seafire IIC: First flown in May 1943, the Seafire IIC mark was a conversion of unfinished Spitfire VC airframes. The IIC had the naval features of the IB, with the addtion of catapult spools.

Seafire XV: First of the Griffon-powered Seafires, the XV had the Seafire MkIII's wings, and the Spitfire Mk VB's fuselage, with the tail and rudder from the Spitfire VIII. The Mk XV was just too late for participation in the Pacific War, and problems with the Griffon's supercharger meant that the type was relegated to land-based use for a time.

Seafire XVI: Bubble canopy and cut down aft fuselage, underwing hardpoints.

Seafire Mk.45: Navalized version of the Spitfire Mk 21, with the two-stage supercharged Merlin 61. 50 production aircraft; not used operationally at sea.

Seafire Mk.46: Penultimate Seafire, with a contra-rotating propeller and Spiteful-type tail to counteract the torque of the Griffon, as well as a teardrop canopy. Only 24 were built, with non-folding wings, and these were not used operationally from carriers.

Seafire Mk.47: The last Seafire, and the final iteration of the design line started by the Spitfire prototype a decade earlier, the Mk.47 had folding wings, the Griffon 88 engine with the air intake moved forward on the nose, and enlarged tailplanes.

While cooped up in the house, I’ve been perusing some recent book purchases, among them this magnificent volume covering the history of British airlifters, from the immediate post-war period (when the RAF actually had to make us of captured Japanese transports) through to the A400M. There is coverage of a great many unbuilt designs, which will delight any “what if” fan.

Some highlights:

Chapter 2: Fetch and Carry: Holds, Wheels and Engines A look at airlifter technology, with diagrams including: Hold sizes or various types, including the Brittanic, C-133 and C-130. Cross sections overlaid with a square showing the max square load of the Belfast – many types, even the 747F and DC-10F, could not handle this. Visual explanations of the Khe Sanh approach, LAPES and GPES.

Chapter 3 Transports for the Austerity Years Color shots of a York and Hastings C.1 3-view of a projected Hastings outgrowth with a revised rear fuselage incorporating a tail ramp. Diagram showing the evolution of the X.30/46 glider into the Beverley. 3-view of the Stage 2 Beverley with Tyne engines, with close-up drawings of the Centaurus and Tyne installations. Stage 3 Beverely with Napier Elands Several depictions of the Blackburn B.107

Chapter 4 An Argosy Abandoned – OR.323 Medium Transport 3-views include: Airspeed AS.60 Ayrshire and AS.67 – these would have used the wings and tail of the Ambassador. Bristol Type 167 “flying boxcar” type design Shorts’ PD.16 Scottish Aviation Turbo Pioneer AW.660

Chapter 5: Strategic Freighters Round One 3-view diagrams for the C.132/OR.315, including the HP.96, Vickers Type 716 and V.1000, Shorts’ DH and Avro contenders. Comet 5 3-view Bristol 175, 187 and Brittania 100 3-views. Coverage of planned hypersonic successors to the VC.10, including an artist’s depiction of the HS.1019/A5

Chapter 7 To Singapore by the Cable Route – AST 364 Covers the post 1957 efforts to provide a long range strategic transport to help the UK fufill its obligations to nations in Southeast Asia. Reaching Asia in a post-Suez world was a challenge – as many nations in Africa and the Middle East might not grant overflight rights. A solution was to use the “cable route” around the Cape of Good Hope – named for the Victorian era telegraph route.

Included: The HP.117 flying wing strategic transport projected for the 1970s. VC.10 with revised forward fuselage for front loading Brittanic 6 with VC.10 wings Jet Belfast with C-141 derived wings BAC VC.10 derivative with high-mounted wing and swing nose Coverage of UK deliberations on a C-5A purchase, including a photo of a Galaxy model in RAF colors

Chapter 8 Theatre Transport Replacement Aircraft: OR.351 Details the effort to replace the Beverley and Hastings with a new tactical transport that would be capable of STOL operations from austere forward airstrips

Types covered include: BAC Warton EAG.3198 with lift fans Avro Type 773 C-130 look-a-like with variable-incidence wings and Tyne turboprops BAC 208 BAC.222 C-130 derivative with a larger fuselage and Tyne engines Tactical Belfast with blown surfaces HS.681

Chapter 9: Blown Away by the Chinook – Light Cargo Aircraft

Includes: Avro 758 HP Military Herald HP.127 Jet Herald

Chapter 11: South of Suez and a Return to the East FIMA/FLA/Euroflag alternatives

As capable as the B-24 proved in fighting U-boats, it was still at heart a high altitude bomber, and in 1943 Consolidated received a contract for a long-range patrol bomber evolution of the Liberator. The PB4Y-2 was much different from the baseline B-24, with a stretched fuselage, single tall vertical tail, and revised nacelles for the R-1830-94 engines. Christened Privateer, the PB4Y-2 was slower than the Liberator, but was well suited top conducting long range sorties over the vast Pacific. Defensive armament was heavy, with two Erco-built waist turrets, another two Martin dorsal turrets, and Consolidated nose and tail turrets. The Privateer served as the launch platform for the Special Weapons Ordnance Device Mk.9 – more commonly known as the Bat. This early example of a “smart” weapon was a high-winged plywood airframe built around a 1,000lb bomb and fitted with an active radar seeker. Bat was first used operationally by VPB-109 in late April 1945, followed by VPB-123 and -124. Some 33 Bats were expended during the war; results left something to be desired, although this was partially attributed to a lack of specialized training and support. A notable success with the Bat was the crippling of the small escort vessel Aguni.

Although supplanted by Lockheed’s P2V Neptune in the postwar era, the Privateer served into the 1950s, especially in the “ferret” role, snooping around the territory of the USSR. The Privateer was actually the last B-24 variant to remain in service with the US military, as a few drone targets were still around to be redesignated as QP-4Bs in 1962. Former USN aircraft were supplied to France, which used them as overland bombers in Indochina. The Nationalist Chinese were also supplied with the type, and as late as 1961 one was shot down by a Burmese Sea Fury. The US Coast Guard also flew demilitarized Privateers as PB4Y-2Gs until 1958.

Although long retired from military duties, a handful of Privateers were retained as civilian “bombers” of a sort well into the 1990s, as Hawkins & Powers Aviation operated a small fleet of PB4Y-2s as fire retardant bombers. These aircraft had supercharged R-2600s from scrapped B-25s, all armament deleted, and tankage added for nearly ten tons of retardant.

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