Page Content (OCR)
BTZ Lucane design for twin-fuselage light transport aircraft with a rotating annular wing/ducted fan enclosing contra-rotating propellers driven by central powerplant. via Bill Rose An alternative design by BTZ for a Lucane light transport aircraft using two rotating ducted fans for lift and level flight. via Bill Rose With encouraging work being undertaken by SNECMA, the West German authorities agreed to provide additional funding to the project. Four West German aviation compa- nies also became involved and each began studies of VTOL fighters that drew on the research and development taking place in France. By early 1957 significant funding was forthcoming from the West German Govern- ment and several contractors were actively studying adaptations of the SNECMA annular- winged designs for Luftwaffe needs. From a resulting design contest, two leading projects emerged — these were the Bolkéw P 110.1 and the Heinkel He 231, with the rocket-like Heinkel proposal taking first place. Now that the West German government was providing additional support it was decided to push forward with the SNECMA project with a series of upgrades to the design. On 30th March 1957, the CP.400-P2 made its first tethered flight. This version differed by using a slightly more powerful ATAR DV engine and having a rudimentary cockpit installed on top of the vehicle, which would allow manned untethered flights. A total of 132 gallons (600 litres) of fuel was carried and an automatic sta- bilisation system was introduced to keep CP.400-P2 upright. With SNECMA’s test pilot Auguste Morel at the controls, CP.400-P2 made its first free flight on 14th May 1957. In 1958 the CP.400-P3 was completed; this differed from the previous test-bed by having a forward-tilting ejector seat and inlets for the jet engine on either side of the cockpit. To establish if there was a possibility of engine flame-out during descent due to problems with the engine inlets, C400-P3 was mounted on railway rolling stock and exhaust tests were conducted along a length of track between Etampes and Pithiviers near Paris. The train was driven backwards at speed to simulate a vertical touch-down, generating many strange rumours about the project and French railways. However, these unorthodox trials were not very successful and further experiments were conducted in the large wind tunnel at Modane, although CP.400-3 never actually flew as a manned testbed. At the same time SNECMA built a full-sized mock-up of a prototype manned VTOL air- major combat aircraft, there were already studies taking place to find a follow-on replacement, which would ideally be an indigenous product. The Luftwaffe favoured a V/STOL interceptor that was able to offset the vulnerability of front line airfields to War- saw Pact forces. Nevertheless, the German aircraft industry was still recovering from World War Two. Many of the country’s best engineers and scientists had been lost to overseas contractors and manufacturers had been forced to diversify into less demanding fields. The Luftwaffe requirement for a next- generation combat aircraft was designated VJ 101 - the VJ denoting Vertikal Jager (VTOL Fighter). It called for an aircraft with Mach 2.5 performance, a ceiling of 72,000ft (22,000m) and an operation range of 310 miles (500km). 144 Secret Projects: Flying Saucer Aircraft