USN VFX Competition (Evolution of and alternatives to the F-14)

Single-vertical fin F-14 would have also been more complex because it had venral fins that had to fold up for landing.. Going to the twin-vertical configuration did a lot for the design. it makes you wonder how the initial twin-vertical configuration for the A3J-1 would have performed relative to the version that was built.
 
It's somewhat ironic that the original North American Aviation A3J-1 mock-up had two tailfins for stability, but the USN design Bureau got cold feet and insisted on a traditional single tailfin design being incorporated - alas with a folding mechanism, so it could fit in carrier hangers....and yet the G-303E design seems to have been the other way around.

Regards
Pioneer
 
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Sorry elmayerle, I just noticed I've for all intent and purposes duplicated what you had said regards to the twin tail fin A3J-1 mock-up.

Regards
Pioneer
 
Might be a question already know and possibly posted, but do we know in what order the USN graded and selected the VFX competitive design submissions in? I appreciate that it was:
1st place Grumman Design 303E
2nd place McDonnell Douglas Model 225;



Rockwell NA-323
General Dynamics Model 44
Vought/LTV V-507????

Thanks in advance

Regards
Pioneer
 
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I've never seen it mentioned anywhere. Only the Grumman and McDonnell-Douglas designed met the specification, the latter only barely, so it is quite possible the other three were never formally ranked.

I would guess Rockwell were last as the only fixed wing design - they used the competition mainly as a warm up for FX.
 
I recall the same info regarding Grumman and MDD. Since the others did not meet the specs, they would simply be eliminated, no point in ranking them.
 

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I think that the wing should be swpet in its most angled position and then only the tailplane folded (up look the way it really should according to the model plastic cuttings).
 
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For some reason I missed this particular forum and I would have sworn that I had posted it. Anywho.... I was able to obtain 2 of these beauties thru much breath holding and whining from a good friend who found the original box of 3 in a local hobby shop! A bit small for my liking but a joy to just hold and fondle none the less.
 

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allysonca said:
For some reason I missed this particular forum and I would have sworn that I had posted it. Anywho.... I was able to obtain 2 of these beauties thru much breath holding and whining for a good friend who found the box of 3 in a local hobby shop! A bit small for my liking but a joy to just hold and fondle none the less.
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What a score!!!
 
This fantastic trio was indeed shared in the specific V-505/V-507 thread, but that's always a pleasure to see it.
 
Since F-111B had the big single vertical tail, its logical they worked from single to twins. But that last model from flateric with a low wing would have been problematic for loading stores if you intended to eventually add bombs. Might have made loading Pheonix, Sparrow, and Sidewinders easier when manual loading was still the mode.
 
MadRat said:
Since F-111B had the big single vertical tail, its logical they worked from single to twins. But that last model from flateric with a low wing would have been problematic for loading stores if you intended to eventually add bombs. Might have made loading Pheonix, Sparrow, and Sidewinders easier when manual loading was still the mode.
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While I don't think anyone was manually loading 1000lbs worth of Phoenix, manual loading of Sparrows and especially Sidewinders lasted until the early 1990s. I mean, a Sidewinder is a 3-man lift on a bad day, a Sparrow closer to 6.
 
Skybolt said:
Coming back from the old: probably it was an Agile, AIM-95.
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Agile was was kept in a container; it was mounted on pylons in the launch tube. It also had a rounded, not pointed nose. That thing looks pretty substantial to me, but I don't recognize the fins.
 
It is indeed a Harpoon, at least to me.
People tend to forget/ignore that the Harpoon is in fact shorter and has a smaller diameter than the Phoenix.
Picture reversed for comparison.
PhotoCollage_1744356526008.jpg 198373-31fe91035bfdd66953c16ef168ee4f28.jpg
 
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From this book.
 

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  • Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp.,Segundo , Calif. $ 1,000,000. Contract definition phase of the VFX weapon system.Naval Air Systems Command. N00019- 69-C-0053.
  • LTV Aerospace Corp., Dallas, Tex. $1,000,000. Contract definition phase of the VFX weapon system. Naval Air Sys-tems Command. N00019-69-C-0052.-
  • General Dynamics, San Diego, Calif. $1,000,000. Contract definition phase of the VFX weapon system. Naval Air Systems Command. N00019-69-C-0047
  • North American Rockwell Corp., El Segundo, Calif. $1,000,000 . Contract defi- nition phase of the VFX weapon system.Naval Air Systems Command. N00019- 69-C-0043
  • McDonnell Douglas Corp., St. Louis, Mo. $1,000,000. Contract definition phase of the VFX weapon system. Naval Air Sys- tems Command. N00019-69-C-0051.
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Defence Industry Bulletin, September 1968
The following modifications to fixed price contracts have been made by the Naval Air Systems Command for contract definition phase of the VFX weapon system :
  • Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp., Bethpage, N.Y. $1,000,000. N00019- 69-C-0053.
  • LTV Aerospace Corp., Dallas , Tex. $1,000,000. N00019-69-C-0052.
  • General Dynamics, San Diego, Calif. $1,000,000. N00019-69-C-0047.
  • North American Rockwell Corp., El Segundo, Calif. $1,000,000. N00019- 69-C-0048.
  • McDonnell Douglas Corp., St. Louis ,Mo. $1,000,000. N00019-69-C-0051
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Defence Industry Bulletin, November 1968
 
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