Republic AP-100 VTOL fighter

[Scott Kenny]

6x J85s... Today we could replace that with 6x afterburning Williams FJ44s, though I'd remove the middle lift fan to use as a bomb bay and just use a 3-bearing nozzle like the F35.

Well, where would the three-bearing nozzle be located?

Not as far aft as the J85s, this would also deal with the smaller fourth lift fan aft of the aft bomb bay.

Or it could replace the aft lift fans. Still gives CG issues, but less than the original design.

 

[acegeek9992]

6x J85s... Today we could replace that with 6x afterburning Williams FJ44s, though I'd remove the middle lift fan to use as a bomb bay and just use a 3-bearing nozzle like the F35.

Well, where would the three-bearing nozzle be located?

Not as far aft as the J85s, this would also deal with the smaller fourth lift fan aft of the aft bomb bay.

Or it could replace the aft lift fans. Still gives CG issues, but less than the original design.

Let’s say we could cut down on the number of engines required to power the AP-100. What engines would be best suited for the job and why?

 

[acegeek9992]

Hmmm... blatant self promotion, ya or nah?

View attachment 700274

Nope - I think it’s perfectly fine!

 

[Scott Kenny]

6x J85s... Today we could replace that with 6x afterburning Williams FJ44s, though I'd remove the middle lift fan to use as a bomb bay and just use a 3-bearing nozzle like the F35.

Well, where would the three-bearing nozzle be located?

Not as far aft as the J85s, this would also deal with the smaller fourth lift fan aft of the aft bomb bay.

Or it could replace the aft lift fans. Still gives CG issues, but less than the original design.

Let’s say we could cut down on the number of engines required to power the AP-100. What engines would be best suited for the job and why?

Something closer to the size of a Pegasus with a 3-bearing nozzle (3x exhaust streams) or an F135. No reason to use 6x engines that I know of, all that does is massively drive up maintenance overhead.

J85s are 690lbs each, while the F135 is 3750 and the Pegasus is 3960, so the weight will be close to the same but much better weight and balance by being able to stick ordnance where the engines are in the AP100 design and have all the engine mess in the center of the fuselage.

Pegasus would be my vote based on timeline.

 

[hesham]

From Interavia 1961.