US Bomber Projects sequel: Include attack choppers?

Orionblamblam

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As some may know, I'm working on a book on US bomber projects. The sequel was *supposed* to be on US fighter projects, but that has been shelved for various reasons. However a "strike/ground attack" book is a likely sequel. There are some bomber projects that coudl fit as well into either. However, there are also anti-tank planes (like the A-10), close-in support planes (like the OV-10) and anti-tank choppers (like the Apache). I'm uncertain whether those would entirely fit in a ground attack projects book. Thoughts?
 
Excellent Orionblam

A new book of barely known US projects, when dou you think it will be in the market?...i want one...

Fabián
 
Dear Scott,

Your bomber book looks great..I'm anxious to order a copy because I'm very interested in USA Aerospace Industry. There is a lot of dispersed info but no serious books as in the case of other countries like Russia, UK, Germany or France. I keep my APR collection as one of the jewels in my library because you included there deep studies on US unbuilt Projects. (well...its clear enough that I'm a Scott Lowther work supporter ;D).

It is a pity you have decided to give up the US Fighter project. I have been working with Lark on a very amateur guide of US Fighter projects because it is a very interesting subject for us and there is nothing in the market. The Angeluzzi/Bowers "The American Fighters" is amazing but covers only a handful of unbuilt projects. So I was waiting for your definitive book on the subject. Is there any chance to see this book in the future?

The "strike/ground attack" book it is also a big idea. In fact any book on US unbuilt projects its a good idea because it is nothing published to date.
Because of my education I'm a natural born classificator and I learnt at the University that a population can't be classified at all. So you have to decide about what classification criteria is the most suitable for your study.
In my opinion you can include long and medium range bombers in the bomber book (everything classified as B in USAF service and everythig in classified as heavy/medium bomber in the Navy like A-3, A-5 and A-6). Maybe you could also include here the dedicated strike fighter type tasked with nuclear bomb drops (some F-84/F-86/A-4/F-105 and F-111 class aircraft). The F-15E could be considered also a "medium bomber"?
In the "strike/ground attack" book you can include everything tasked with land/ship attack that does not match the other book criteria:
USAF A-designated aircraft, Navy light bomber A-designated aircraft. I think COIN and anti-armour types perfectly fit here too. I think anti-armour role could be considered into the assault tasks (understanding it as a close air support).

I hope my modest opinions could give some help

Regards,
Antonio
 
Tony Buttler is working on a "Secret Projects: US Jet Fighters since 1945" book, which I think explains the situation adequately.
 
overscan said:
Tony Buttler is working on a "Secret Projects: US Jet Fighters since 1945" book, which I think explains the situation adequately.

Yup. He's also working a bomber book, but I started mine well before I heard about his (in fact, I started it as a result of Buttlers publishers contacting me with the idea of doing it, but they went with the known quantity). Buttler and I have been in cumminications about these projects, and we've got our bomber books set up so that we don't bump heads too much... our books should complement each other. Also, I've sent Buttler a CD-ROM packed full fo fighter stuff, soa fair fraction of his book may wind up having come from me.
 
Paul,

Thanks, very good news...any idea about when Tony Buttler's US Fighter book could be available?
 
I've supplied Tony with some names and sources myself. I really need to copy some items for him that show some imteresting connections.
 
Well, it seems taht we are going to add the deffinitive US Fighter and Bomber guide to our libraries. Although pre-1945 years would remain uncovered. I can understand that pre-1945 Aviation History has little enthusiasts, you just have to give a look at this forum statistics. Anyway, I'm still confident to see a pre 1945 US fighter/bomber secret projects companion volume to the British one.
 
I think also I am starting to look forward to your book(s), Scott. :)

In the meantime, could you (or anyone else) name the projects on the 'Hypersonic', 'Space', and 'Future' sections of the drawing composition? I presume the one on the right in 'Hypersonic' is the Boeing Mach 10 cruiser, and the one on the bottom left of 'Future' is a QSP design and on the right a DARPA HCV concept. The rest I cannot identify.

Also, are the drawings within each group meant to be to scale?
 
I would also argue against a combined bomber/ground attack+strike book. Bombers have unique characteristics - they deserve a book with a sharp focus. This book might benefit from Orion's writing, which summarizes for a wider audience the challenges and compromises of aerospace engineering. A larger book might end up being a collection of drawings, with very little insight .
 
Meteorit said:
In the meantime, could you (or anyone else) name the projects on the 'Hypersonic', 'Space', and 'Future' sections of the drawing composition?
Left-Right, and Up-down:
Hypersonic:
1: General Dynamics -Fort Worth (now Lockheed) Mach 5 strike plane from the INCAAPS program
2: McDonnell-Douglas (now Boeing) Mach 10 Cruiser (one of two+ designs)

Space:
1: SpaceWorks Engineering "QuickSat"
2: 12-Meter Orion (General Atomics Corporation). Designed to lurk in deep space (beyond the Moon) and serve as an unstoppable nuclear retaliatory system
3: Orbital Sciences X-42
4: Rockwell MRCC (suborbital/orbital spaceplane designed to fulfill an F-111 sort of role, just from space)

Future: (note: these are designs that are at least theoretically still possibilities... designs may get shuffled aroudn in the end)
1: Northrop "B-3" design
2: Lockheed Falcon HCV
3: Northrop QSP - this design may go to the "strike aircraft" book


Meteorit said:
Also, are the drawings within each group meant to be to scale?

All drawings are to the same scale. That's why some of them are nearly just smudges at this scale, like the submarine-launched Pluto variant shown in the lower right corner of the "nuclear powered" section. The scale bar, in meters, is in the "missile carriers" section.

A further note: I have not been creating the drawings in an orderly fashion, but rather haphazardly. That's why there are a lot of nukes but no B-47's and only one B-52; I just haven't done these other drawings yet.
 
QUANTUM1 said:
I would also argue against a combined bomber/ground attack+strike book.

There will not be such a combined book; they *will* be separate. The question is whether to include attack helicopter designs in the ground attack book.
 
Orion, can we submit votes?

Mine is for attack choppers to be included
 
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=294.0

A poll on the subject
 

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