VLJ niche missions?

[Broncazonk]

What kind of military, government or commercial mission could a VLJ like the Viperjet (below) successfully perform? It would have to be a niche mission(s), something useful, but narrow and esoteric.

Bronc

 

[Machdiamond]

The Viperjet has no payload and was not designed to have one.
It is like going to war naked, it can bring you a big smile if you are into it but it is not very useful nor repeatable.

 

[Broncazonk]

The Viperjet has no payload and was not designed to have one. It is like going to war naked, it can bring you a big smile if you are into it but it is not very useful nor repeatable.

Understand and agree. However, all aircraft do not go to war and many are still useful. Is there a military, governmental, or civilian mission for something like the Viperjet that does not include combat?

Bronc

 

[RanulfC]

Very Cheap Trainer?

Basis for a UAV?

Don't know much about the design actually

Randy

 

[Jemiba]

I remember, that during trainingflights for the Royal Navy, FR Aviation used a Dassault Falcon 20
to mimic an attacking "bomber", using its ECM systems and usually two BAe Hawks (I think,
just "borrowed") played the role as "missiles". That could be a task, such an aircraft could
fulfill cheaper.

 

[cluttonfred]

The ViperJet is atypical among modern VLJs as most in that somewhat ill-defined category are not two-seaters but more commonly small business aircraft with cabins for 4-6 people. Taking one those as a starting point, it would not be at all hard to imagine a VLJ converted to a number of uses, especially given the accelerated miniaturization of sensors and surveillance equipment prompted by the growth in UAVs. Relatively low operating cost would make a VLJ attractive, for example, for maritime reconnaissance or signal intelligence.

It's not also not hard to imagine a fast cabin VLJ forming the basic for a cheap interceptor in the spirit of the ATG Homeland Defense Interceptor -- just one or two crew, an air-to-air radar capacity and a .50 cal machine gun or a couple of missiles, adequate for intercepting civilian helicopters and slow fixed-wing aircraft. The role would be the aerial equivalent of an armed Coast Guard small boat -- not combat against a military opponent but an armed response to intercept smugglers, drug-runners, terrorists, etc., leaving the real fighters to take on more difficult targets.

From this document, it would appear that the USAF had similar thoughts, at least along the lines that VLJs might prove useful in some military capacity, though I don't know whether or not anything actually came of the effort. At least one VLJ is already being marketed for military applications, though I don't know whether or not it is much more than vaporware at this point.

 

[Broncazonk]

What about commercial applications? Is there a coast to coast same day delivery market. (Though an Embraer Phenom 100 would be much better at it.)

Bronc

 

[Machdiamond]

When I was involved in the design of the SafireJet, both Fedex and UPS took a hard look at it. They both concluded the economics of VLJ was not workable for them.
Here are two (never made public) renderings I did back then (2000-ish) to illustrate the technical presentations.
Luc

 

[Stargazer]

Thanks for sharing these breathtaking renderings!

This beautiful design reminds me a bit of a Swearingen-Jaffe business aircraft prototype from the 1990s. Were they in the same league?

 

[Broncazonk]

When I was involved in the design of the SafireJet, both Fedex and UPS took a hard look at it. Here are two (never made public) renderings I did back then (2000-ish) to illustrate the technical presentations. Luc

Wow. Thank you for your post.

Bronc

 

[Machdiamond]

Were they in the same league?

The SJ-30? No that was a different category entirely. I have always like that aircraft though, it probably gave me a couple of unintentional styling cues.
Luc

 

[cluttonfred]

Thanks so much for sharing those, Luc, great stuff. Are there no VLJs in military camouflage lurking in your archives?

 

[Machdiamond]

Not in my archives, although there are a few airplanes from last century (check my web site) that can qualify as VLJ's that were designed as military trainers such as the Jet Squalus or the Caproni C22J, both of which were marketed in civilian and military variants.

 

[Broncazonk]

@ Machdiamond,

Hey, I'm wondering if you would share some of your recollections and experiences in being a part of the Safire Jet. You know, the challenges, things that happened and what you went through designing and marketing a new aircraft, the things you would do differently, any lessons learned. Anything you might share with us would be most interesting. Thanks!

Bronc