1986 AFRL Trans-Atmospheric Vehicle TAV

[X-Plane Fan]

I came across this large wood model recently in an office at Wright-Patterson AFB, and cannot find any definitive info on the design. It is even has the great Scott Lowther stumped. The closest I've found was a single sketch from an AFWAL report with no other info. Any help is appreciated.

 

[hesham]

One hundred per cent that was from Republic.

 

[XP67_Moonbat]

The only thing that I could think of is that perhaps this might have been part of the Aerospaceplane program (1957-1963). Possibly from Republic.

 

[hesham]

One hundred per cent that was from Republic.

It's looks like this.

 

[flateric]

I saw it before, need to find art. It's much later than Aerospaceplane. 80s

 

[TsrJoe]

An impressive model (TAV.?), looks to have been a rather large design too
in some ways reminds me of this ...

 

[flateric]

Described as 1986 AFRL in-house TAV study so current model (with design evolved with some differencies like double delta wing) location is logical.
source: world-famous Aurora The Pentagon's secret hypersonic spyplane by Bill Sweetman

 

[GeorgeA]

Might it be related to the attached? 500 klb GTOW, 10,000 lb payload to polar orbit, ejector scramjet, Mach 15 conversion to pure rocket power. From “Air Augmented Rocket Propulsion Concepts”, Air Force Astronautics Laboratory, April 1988.

 

[GeorgeA]

Here’s another cut at the vehicle, from “Studies of an Extensively Axisymmetric Rocket Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) Engine Powered SSTO Vehicle” (Foster Escher, Robinson). Again, supercharged ejector scramjet propulsion.

 

[LowObservable]

That model might have been shown at the Dayton Air Show in the early 90s. The presence of this book,,,

https://www.amazon.com/RAF-Nuclear-Deterrent-Forces-Documentary/dp/B01HC2B3OA/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0
in the background places the photo later than 1994, and quite possibly in Tom Curran's office. I also recall Ben Rich remarking that the propellant-to-total-mass ratio challenge drove you away from NASA's doorstops to something more like "an ice-cream cone".
While the artwork shows the thing doing a horizontal TO, it would be very easy to see it being mated with one of Paul Czyzs' toroidal tossback boosters.

 

[publiusr]

it would be very easy to see it being mated with one of Paul Czyzs' toroidal tossback boosters.

Any artists' conceptions of that?

My brain is mud today