Miles X - blended fuselage-wing projects

[Silencer1]

Hi!

To continue the story, that has been started in XP-67 topic - small sraps from "Flight":
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1938/1938%20-%201072.html?search=Miles

It looks, like in the end of 1930th many designers tries to incorporate into the projects the idea of blended wing-fuselage configuration, as the further development of wing-fuselage fairings.

There was a small flying testbed of this airliner build - I'm couldn't remember the designation...

Cheers!

 

[lark]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

For more about the Miles -X- series see:
"Miles projects gallery" started by Skybolt...

 

[Apophenia]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

There was a small flying testbed of this airliner build - I'm couldn't remember the designation...

Miles M.30 X Minor

 

[Pioneer]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

Did Miles use this research in a bomber proposal - what with its projected speed and low drag?


Regards
Pioneer

 

[joncarrfarrelly]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

A bomber version of the later X.11 design was proposed as the X.12.

 

[Stargazer]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

The Miles M.30 X Minor, U-0233, was a one-off, small scale prototype first flown in February 1942 to test the blended wing/fuselage four- and six-engined airliner concepts drawn up by F.G. Miles in the late 1930s. The M.30 ended its relatively brief career as an instructional airframe with the Miles Aeronautical Technical school. Shown inset is the 50 passenger Miles X 11 project of 1943. Performance estimates indicated the X 11 would cruise at 350mph and have a range of 3,450 miles with a full passenger complement. With Miles always considered something of an industry outsider, the X 11 proposal was spurned by officialdom in favour of what was to become the Bristol Brittania.

Source: Aviation Pioneers 1: Research Aircraft 1891-1970 - X-Planes, by Hugh W. Cowin, Osprey Aviation 1999

 

[alertken]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

"spurned" not for Bristol T.175, but for T.167 Brabazon I, ITP 3/43. It would have been irresponsible for Ministers to have entrusted the Transatlantic, all-First Class defeater of C-54/C-69 to glue/woodsmiths Phillips & Powis A/C, masters of Magisters and little else. The logic of selection of Bristol was that the wing had already been schemed, for the 100-ton Bomber, by a team backed up by volume metalwork production: so: low risk, so early delivery. Ah, well...

 

[joncarrfarrelly]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

There was very good reason to question the Miles performance estimates, despite Don Brown's rather sanguine
claims in his Miles Aircraft since 1925 and his pointless comparison of the X.11 to the Brittania.
"The Ministry done us wrong" is a recurrent theme in the sections dealing with the 'X' projects.

Ken, the X.9 project was for an all-metal aircraft so it is likely that the X.11 was also to be metal, however, Brown
makes no reference to materials in his description. Which is rather odd as he was in charge of the design.
Of course, even if all-metal, who was to build the critter?

 

[cluttonfred]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

I just saw this and have to point out that by the end of the war Miles had shifted over to some metal aircraft production, including the Miles Monitor (1944) twin-engine, high-performance target tug and the Miles (later Handley Page) Marathon (1945). While it would certainly be fair to question the Miles production capacity at the time, that is no reason to discount their design ability out of hand. DeHavilland, too, remained primarily a wooden aircraft producer until after the war. Cheers, Matthew

 

[airman]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

there was X series : X.11, X.12, X.13 and X.14 ( from Miles Putnam): in first page the project name is X.11 an eight-engined aircraft for transatlantic transport or Miles X.2 (early X -series)

 

[CAO 700]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

Does it exist a kit of the Miles M.30 X Minor?

 

[Bailey]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

Some more on the Miles X from Flight 23rd December 1943.

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1943/1943%20-%202999.html
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1943/1943%20-%203000.html
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1943/1943%20-%203001.html

Regards Bailey.

 

[RAP]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

Miles X Minor M.30

 

[RAP]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

A nice 3-view of the Miles X.

 

[hesham]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

Hi RAP,


it was Miles X.9,and here is its artist drawing and 3-view imagines.

 

[RAP]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

Thanks Hesham. Here is a little more info from the resource I have, The Book of Miles Aircraft, published 1944. No matter what the designation, it is a very attractive design.

 

[Stargazer]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

A nice 3-view of the Miles X.

There never was a plain "Miles X" designation. There was a series of "X.*" which ran from circa 1941 to circa 1945 which apparently all fitted within the general "M.26" program. However there was one project sometimes found as "Scheme X", whose date seems to indicate it must have been the X.8. Known designations are as follows (this would be better in the "Designations" section but I guess it could be featured in both):

• X.3 — six-engined project
• X.7 — 8-engined 50-100 passenger transatlantic project for Spec. 14/38, with eight Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, 4 contra-rotating airscrews, a single fin and a rudder
• X.7 Mod. — variant of above with two decks to carry 550 troops
• "Scheme X" (X.8?) — projected as a four (normally mounted)-engined freighter with no windows and a single "bug-eye" cockpit, single fin and rudder
• X.9 — all-metal development of X.3 using laminar flow aerofoil section of high aspect ratio, 4x RR Griffin II, twin fins and rudders
• X.9 — alternate military cargo variant with rear loading ramp
• X.9 Mod. — as X.9 but with the four Rolls-Royce Griffin II engines buried in the wings, driving airscrews through extension shafts
• X.10 — twin-engined version of X.9 with engines mounted normally, twin fins and rudders (also designated M.26K)
• X.11 — post-war transatlantic airliner developed from X.7, with eight RR Merlins buried in wings, 4 contra-rotating airscrews, twin fins/rudders; submitted for Spec. 2/44, later Brabazon Committee Type I Specification
• X.11 — projected troop-carrying version of X.11
• X.11 Scheme BX — project for 74-passenger civil transport with specification similar to X.9; four RR Griffin II engines mounted normally, twin fins/rudders
• X.11 Scheme CX — as Scheme BX but with four engines buried in wings driving airscrews through extension shafts; freighter version also projected
• X.11 (M.26A) — 1/2 scale flying model of Scheme BX configuration; 4x Lycoming engines mounted normally, 7-8 passengers, 1 pilot in "bug-eye" cabin
• X.11 Heavy Bomber (X.12?) — as X.11 but provision for 10-ton bomb, two cannons in armoured remote-control dorsal turret, 2 m/guns in retractable ventral turret
• X.13 — troop transport project, existed in long-, medium- and short-range versions
• X.14 — post-war airliner project, twin fins/rudders; like Scheme BX but 4x Bristol Centaurus CE125M; indirect Atlantic crossing or Empire routes
• X.14 — projected military freighter variant of above, probably with rear loading
• X.15 — long-range transatlantic airliner to Spec. 2/44, Brabazon Committee Type I specification; 6x Napier Sabre engines

 

[hesham]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

Hi,


X.2 was a four engined transport project.
X.4 to X.8 were a very large transport projects.

 

[hesham]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

Hi,


here is the Miles X.2 project,from L'Aerophile;


http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6555158w/f26.image.r=l%27a%C3%A9rophile.langFR

 

[Stargazer]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

If there was an icon for "love" I would post a string of them! Thanks for sharing this.

 

[bigvlada]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

What a beautiful design. Did any of the designers later worked on the Handley Page Victor?

 

[hesham]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

Hi,


here is the Miles X.7;


http://aerosociety.com/Assets/Docs/NAL/NAL_SC_ACP.pdf

 

[hesham]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

From FR 3/1958,


here is a drawing to Miles X.

 

[Johnbr]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

Here is a poster.

 

[hesham]

Re: Miles X - blended fuselage-wing airliner project

Hi,


the Miles M.26 Project.


http://www.hollilla.com/reader.php?action=thread&thread=3616734&offset=120

 

[sienar]

From a Tsagi report

Listed as X-2

 

[sienar]

From https://books.google.com/books?id=M3NhrPVyQiIC

 

[blackkite]

Hi X11. Where are radiators?

https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=-zKTAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA73&lpg=PA73&dq=Miles+M.58+twin+boom+fighter&source=bl&ots=izgrRJdcrD&sig=ni7Jli6kwyj-Xhzx2tA3bDjOvCQ&hl=ja&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwif68KvoOPWAhVFurwKHRpOC_UQ6AEIQzAG#v=onepage&q=Miles%20M.58%20twin%20boom%20fighter&f=false

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=8088.0;attach=578184;image

http://museumofberkshireaviation.co.uk/html/research/m26x.htm

X.11 Heavy Bomber (X.12?) ?— as X.11 but provision for 10-ton bomb, two cannons in armoured remote-control dorsal turret, 2 m/guns in retractable ventral turret.
https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=8088.0;attach=519547;image

 

[blackkite]

Hi! Interesting Rolls Royce Crecy engine. Bottom picture move.
http://alternathistory.com/aviatsionnyi-dvukhtaktnyi-dvigatel-rolls-royce-crecy-velikobritaniya

 

[blackkite]

Hi!

Russian site. Please try auto translator.
http://alternathistory.com/proekty-samoletov-x-serii-kompanii-miles-aircraft-proekty-x11-x13-velikobritaniya

Can see radiator cooling air intake located between inboard and outboard propeller?

 

[hesham]

From L+K 13-1988.

 

[hesham]

X.2 was a four engined transport project.

All available Info about early X series,from Putnam book.

 

[hesham]

From Aeroplane monthly 1982.

 

[Schneiderman]

X2

 

[Schneiderman]

X2 Military

 

[hesham]

From, Rivista_aeronautica 1943.

 

[hesham]

From this book.

 

[hesham]

From Aeroplane 1960.