Napier tailless fighter

[Justo Miranda]

Source Flight July 25Th 1946
Engine Sabre E.122 3350 hp

 

[hesham]

Hi,

http://www.flightglobal.com/PDFArchive/View/1946/1946%20-%201443.html?search=napier%20fighter%201946

 

[Caravellarella]

Re: Napier tail-less mid-engine Sabre E-122 fighter project......

Dear Boys and Girls, here is an article in French about Napier's annular radiator for the Sabre engines and the same Napier "project" for a tail-less mid-engine fighter using said annular radiator and an E-122 engine (which I understand was an unbuilt high-power Sabre version)......

The article comes from the 3rd August 1946 issue of Les Ailes......


Terry (Caravellarella)

 

[JFC Fuller]

This has come up variously in my efforts to uncover Sabre developments, this seems to have been an attempt by Napier to combine all their dreamed for sabre developments (Contra-prop / Turbocharger) in the E.122 into an aircraft that used their work on annular radiators.

http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,11807.0.html

 

[hesham]

From Flightglobal,

with the caption.

 

[hesham]

We hope to see it as a Model.

 

[Foo Fighter]

I am wondering just how plausible this layout is and how maneuverable it could have been. My understanding is that the contgrol surfaces need to be further behind the CoM.

 

[perttime]

I am wondering just how plausible this layout is and how maneuverable it could have been. My understanding is that the contgrol surfaces need to be further behind the CoM.

The manoeverability of tailless aircraft is a bit of a can of worms. Actually, they can easily become unstable if not designed and balanced right. But ... just for one example, the "Me 163 (...) was extremely manoeuvrable in gliding flight and thus was not a straightforward target to down." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Me_163_Komet#Operational_history

 

[Airborne2001]

The manoeverability of tailless aircraft is a bit of a can of worms. Actually, they can easily become unstable if not designed and balanced right. But ... just for one example, the "Me 163 (...) was extremely manoeuvrable in gliding flight and thus was not a straightforward target to down." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Me_163_Komet#Operational_history

Was this aircraft inspired by the Me-163? Was it a post war design? I'm curious regarding the similarity in terms of looks.

 

[perttime]

Sabre E.122 was a post-war variant (apparently intended for the tailless fighter). Wikipedia mentions 1946. It seems likely that Napier designers were aware of the Me 163 and other German tailless projects.