Grumman Rigel, Lockheed F-94C & L-223 Aerial Minelayer, NAA MX-1554 Interceptor, Vought XF5U-1
The December 2025 document release from retromechanix features 101 pages of material with 62 pages of images covering the following subjects:
Grumman Rigel Missile - The first in a series of releases covering the Grumman Rigel XSSM-N-6, an experimental submarine-launched ramjet-powered supersonic cruise missile, development of which began in 1946. This 10 page wind tunnel report dates from September 1949 and features 6 pages of drawings and photos. More Grumman Rigel reports to follow in the months ahead.
Lockheed F-94C Wind Tunnel Tests - Correspondence and photos relating to the testing of a full scale Lockheed F-94C Starfire in the 40 x 80 ft NACA Ames wind tunnel in February 1952. The tests were done to investigate possible excessive drag which reduced the optimum range of the fighter; the accompanying photos show some interesting modifications done to the aircraft during these tests. This 24 page PDF features 14 pages of photos.
Lockheed L-223 Aerial Minelayer - First in a three-part series presenting the proposal brochure for the Lockheed L-223, a design submitted to the US Navy OS-128 Land-Based Mine Laying Airplane competition of February 1952. This was a large swept wing aircraft powered by three Westinghouse J40-WE-10 turbojets mounted beneath the aft fuselage. The brochure for Boeing's entry to the competition was released here back in [DATE]. This 37 page PDF features 3 pages of drawings and illustrations; the remaining portions of the brochure, which feature numerous schematics, will be released over the next few months.
North American MX-1554 Interceptor Proposal - Second in a three part series presenting drawings of The North American Aviation ESO 4705 supersonic interceptor proposal for the USAF MX-1554 competition, which was ultimately won by Convair, resulting in the F-102 Delta Dagger. Two basic configurations were proposed: a single engine interceptor with a chin inlet and a twin engine interceptor with side inlets. This release includes drawings of major assembly breakdowns, servicing provisions, and handling aids for both configurations. This 6 page PDF features 5 pages of blueprints; the final set of NAA MX-1554 drawings will come out next month.
Vought XF5U-1 - This month's release on the "Flying Flapjack" includes more mock-up photos and another blueprint. The photos date from May-June 1943 and show the mock-up in a completed state; this is the second of a four part series, the next installment of which will be released next month. The blueprint dates from June 17, 1943 and depicts the XF5U-1 close to its final configuration, though there appears to be evidence of a large single vertical tail, along with the familiar smaller twin vertical tails, likely showing that Vought considered both options before settling on the latter. In total, there are 24 pages of images of this unusual aircraft. [...]
