Navy ADR Studies

The BuAer Aircraft Design Branch accomplished notional predesign studies to define prospective aircraft types. These were given ADR numbers and used to test the feasibility of proposal specifications, e.g. the notorious 30,000-lb jet attack airplane that Ed Heinemann compared the A4D Skyhawk to. They were also used to define and evaluate aircraft carrier designs. These are different from and sometimes preceded the Outline Specification (OS) although it is unlikely that every ADR resulted in an OS (the A4D clearly did not). I suspect that not every OS was based on an ADR but it would be interesting to determine the connectivity.

According to Dr. Norman Friedman, the ADR files have not been released. However, there are several examples, one of which is ADR-42 for a heavy bomber that was used to define the specification for the aircraft carrier United States. ADR-45A was reportedly a 60,000-lb carrier-based bomber that resulted in the A2J.

I couldn't find this as a Secret Projects topic using the search function or reviewing the list of Designation topics. I'm interested in compiling a list of the ADRs. (It would also be nice to know what ADR stood for - Aircraft Design Requirement?)

This topic was started in the Military Desigations Yahoo group and there the abbreviation ADR seemed to be based on Bureau of Aeronautics Design Research Division Study. From the apparent timeframe it seems likely that this series was post-war.

The recent Springstyles Book no.4 contains drawings of the preliminary studies leading to the USS United States CVA-58 (SCB-6A) and these drawings hows the outline of the proposed strike aircraft of this carrier the ADR-42:
Which looks like based on the outline as the Martin B-26 Marauder.

But do we know anything more about this strike craft? Dimensions, armament, drawings maybe?

Weirdly the only mention of this craft via the forum's search engine was from a 2010 thread:

JARED A. ZICHEK
Secret Aerpace Projects of the U.S. Navy: The Incredible Attack Aircraft of the USS United States, 1948-1949
Page 4

"The SCB began the CVA-58 study using the BuAer Aviation Design Research no. 42 (ADR-42) aircraft design study as a basis, which weighted 90,000 lbs (100,000 lbs fully loaded). ADR-42 was used for planning purposes until early 1948, being subsequently replaced by the ADR-62, and then by the ADR-64. Unfortunately, the author has been unable to locate any picture. "

Page 5

"By late 1946 ADR-42 had evolved into a swept-wing aircraft powered with four De Laval turbine engines located in nacelles under the wings."

Dimensions: 87 ft (length), 32 ft (height) and 110 ft (wing span)
Top speed: 440 knots at 40.000 ft
Cruising speed exceding 350 knots
Combat radius: 2000 nm

Another design called CV-NEW notes another aircraft: ADR-42

Did you able to find anything?

Topics merged

I don't know why this is a research topic but so be it.

So the last iteration would be similar in look to the Convair B-58 Hustler just bigger?

Since this the Designation Systems section, maybe we should start a rough list?

I notice that ADR aircraft concepts have two or three number designation while ADR reports seem to have four numbers. I also note that, in his Fighters Over the Fleet: Naval Air Defence from Biplanes to the Cold War, Norman Friedman generally - but not exclusively - used 'DR-' rather than 'ADR-' prefixes. For continuity, I've stuck with 'ADR'.
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(BTW: FWIW, Friedman also says that the ADR was an evolution of the design department at the Naval Aircraft Factory.)

I've got a bunch of ADR concepts with no designations known to me. Hopefully we can fill those in over time. I suspect that D-36 to be part of this sequence because of the date. (In the original BuAer Design number series, No. 60 had been applied back in 1924 to the dirigible concepts which matured as the Akron and Macon.)

So, who has more ADR designations or details?

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ADR Aircraft Concept Designations

D-36 - May 1943 ADR concept for P-51B carrier adaptation
- D-36 : aka Design 250

(??) - 1944 ADR turbojet fighter concept

(??) - May 1945 escort carrier fighter studies

(??) - Jan 1945 single-seat carrier jet fighter
- (??) : 1 x GE TG-180 turbojet with nose inlet
- (??) : Butterfly tail, combat radius 250 nm (goal was 300 nm)

(??) - May 1945 long-range, carrier-based night fighter
- (??) : 1 x (??) turbojet

(??) - Dec 1945 carrier-based turboprop strike aircraft study
- (??) : Broken down into 3 x categories, (?) x variants

ADR-42 - 1946 carrier-borne swept-wing nuclear strike aircraft
- ADR-42: Combat radius 2,000 nm, max speed 440 knots (506 mph)
- ADR-42: 4 x De Laval turbines [1] in underwing nacelle pods
- ADR-42: Span 110 ft, 128 ft with tip tanks, 44 ft folded
- ADR-42: Length 87 ft, height 32 ft or 28 ft (tail folded)
- ADR-42: Cruising 350 knots (403 mph), gross wt. 90,000 lbs
-- CAG complement aboard 6A carriers to included 18 x ADR-42s

ADR-45 - 1947 carrier-borne nuclear strike aircraft
- ADR-45 : (??)
- ADR-45A: Smaller-scale alternative to the ADR-42 (qv)
- ADR-45A: Combat radius 750 nm, gross wt. 57,000 lbs
-- CAG complement aboard 6A carriers to included 27 x ADR-45As
-- Led to NAA XA2J 'Super Savage' prototype

(??) - 194? carrier-based long-range strategic bomber for CVA 58

46-56

DR-56 - Attack aircraft, planing-tail type seaplane amphibian


ADR-57 - May 1947 VTOL turboprop interceptor concept
- ADR-57: aka DR-57, part of larger interceptor studies
- ADR-57: VTOL fighter for merchantmen or submarines
- ADR-57: 1 x 5,100 shp XT-40 engine* driving contraprops
-- * Later designation for paired Allison Model 500 turbines
- ADR-57: Maximum speed 458 knots (527 mph) at 35,000 ft
- ADR-57: Maximum climb rate 11,650 ft/min from sea level

58-62

ADR-63 - 194? design study for what became a day interceptor

64-66

ADR-67 - 1948, aka DR-67
- DR-67 : June 1948 single-seater
- DR-67A: 1948 redesign at 2-seater
- DR-67A: Span 44 ft (wings folded)

68-71


ADR-72 - 1948 VTOL turboprop fighter concept (application?)*
- ADR-72: Lighter-weight ADR-57 replacement design
- ADR-72: AN-APS-25 radar, Mk.6 FCS, 24 x FFAR in wingtip pods
-- * Poss. intended for merchantmen like the ADR-57

73-76

ADR-77 - 1950 fast attack seaplan on skis, tank-tested
- ADR-77 : (??)
- ADR-72A: Aug 1950, 2,640 shp turboprop, 8-blade contraprops

78-81

ADR-82 - 19(?) interceptor, connected to ADR-1166 study

83-121

ADR-(??) - Turbojet-powered carrier fighters, 3 x concepts
- (??): 2 x delta-winged, 1 x swept-winged design studies*
-- * NB: Only swept could be carrier catapult-launched

ADR-122 - Aug 1952 air-superiority fighter, 4 x concepts
-- ADR-122 : aka DR-122
-- ADR-122 : BuAer aim = Mach 1.2 at 35,000 ft, 300 nm range
-- ADR-122A: 2 x Westinghouse J46, 16,500 lbs (lightest version)
-- Twin-engined to allow one engine shut-down range extension
-- ADR-122B: 1 x P&W J57P-1, only Mach 0.97, 20,000 lbs
-- ADR-122C: 1 x Wright J65, range only 136 nm

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[1] Is this a reference to jets with De Laval-style nozzles or did the De Laval Steam Turbine Co. (of NYC, works in Trenton, NJ) actually design a turbojet engine for aircraft application?

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ADR Reports

ADR-1056 - Apr 1948 carrier fighter (resembled F3H Demon)

ADR-(??) - 19(?) ADR turbojet and turboprop studies

ADR-1166 - 19(?) Study connected to ADR-82 interceptor, details?

ADR-(??) - 1951 study (unreleased) leading to OS-130 competition

ADR-(??) - 1955 general-purpose fighter candidate evaluation

ADR-(??) - Nov 1955, study of ZIP fuel (high-energy boron compound)

ADR-1603 - 19(?) Visual special weapons capability, 1 x Mk 28
-- Derived from original fighter concept*
-- Same as common airframe for missile fighter & nuclear strike?


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