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Hypothetical classified flying triangle powered by exotic field effect propulsion system. Bill Rose successfully flown in a vacuum chamber, but the project came to an abrupt halt when a company merger took place. As a conse- quence, Townsend Brown walked away from SNCASO in total disgust. The Soviets also undertook electrogravitic research during the 1950s but relatively little is known about their early experiments. Intriguingly, a very technical report on elec- trogravitics surfaced in December 1956, which was written by two highly respected British scientists called Richard Worcester and John Longbent. Their paper, entitled The Gravitics Situation, indicated real substance to Project Winterhaven, although this analy- sis never reached aviation journals or the wider media at that time. Then interest in electrogravitics began to fade rapidly. Many observers felt that it had all been total non- Townsend Brown’s theory) create a substan- Although outside its normal area of inter- sense, while others believed the research tial gravity wave for the vehicle to ride onand est, AT&T (the huge American Telephone had moved into the black projects domain. he considered the disc shape ideal, because it and Telegraph Corporation) assigned scien- However, in January 1968 Northrop began made a large smooth dielectric area possible. tists to electrogravitic research, which _ to study these methods on wind tunnel mod- The aircraft’s primary turbojet propulsion appears to have been secretly funded by the els and examine the possibility of using would now be operating in flame jet genera- Pentagon. In addition, several major scien- charged fields for aerodynamic shaping and tion mode, running relatively cool and form- _ tific institutions undertook USAF-sponsored _ propulsion. Whether there were other US ing a component of the electrogravitic electrogravitic research and these were MIT, contractors undertaking this kind of research system. Engine thrust would no longer be _ Princeton and the CalTech Radiation Labora- during the late 1960s remains unknown, but responsible for pushing the aircraft forward _ tory. At long last, Townsend Brown had man- the USAF’s Flight Dynamics Laboratory at and the relatively small fuel consumption was __ aged to create massive interest in his cranky Wright-Patterson AFB were definitely running expected to provide intercontinental range. ideas and everyone was taking the subject field effect studies. In 1972 a semi-secret At the same time the engine’s infra-red signa- __ very seriously. USAF review called Project Outgrowth identi- ture would virtually disappear, along with a Initial hopes for electrogravitics and Project fied field effect propulsion as offering the reduction or perhaps total elimination of con- Winterhaven were very high, but progress greatest potential for a future system. trails. As the positively charged ion field soft- _ began to slow towards the end of 1955. By the In Russia during this period Anatoly Klimov ened the boundary layer the aircraft could _ spring of the following year there were pre- began a series of classified experiments at easily push through the supersonic barrier, dictions that the effort to develop anti-gravity the Moscow Radio-Technological Institute. reducing the effects of turbulence and possi- _ propulsion would probably surpass the Man- _ He was looking for new ways to reduce drag bly eliminating a sonic boom. Townsend _ hattan Project (the first atomic bomb) in and while there was no clear evidence that Brown predicted very high levels of perfor- terms of scale and cost. This opinion soon methods of defeating gravity were in opera- mance for his Winterhaven design, suggest- became the official line, and then electro- _ tion, his findings made interesting reading. ing it would be capable of Mach 3.5, with a__ gravitics began to fade into the backgroundas Along with colleagues at the loffe Institute in ceiling in excess of 100,000ft (30,500m). funding was scaled down. Townsend Brown St Petersburg, Klimov claimed to have Although this system wasn’t a full-blown continued to conduct electrogravitic achieved drag reductions in the order of thirty science-fiction-style anti-gravity drive, it research and founded the UFO research _ per cent with ionised plasma around a small promised to be a massive step forward in air- organisation NICAP in October 1956, but little sphere in a laboratory test. By any standards craft propulsion technology. As a conse- more was heard of him or Project Winter- this would be an impressive gain, but a small quence, the USAF drew up plans for the long _ haven until the 1990s. sphere is very different to a full-sized, irregu- term funding of Project Winterhaven in Recent document releases have shown _ larly-shaped aircraft. Although there was no November 1954 and they issued a string of _ that the US was not the only country toinves- guarantee that the technology could be secret research contracts to aerospace spe- _ tigate the Biefeld-Brown Effect - for example — scaled up or would work properly in the real cialists. These companies included Martin, during the mid-1950s British scientists con- world, Klimov’s research did seem to indi- Convair, Sperry Rand, Sikorsky, Lear, Dou- ducted electrogravitic research. French firm cate that significant performance gains were glas, Lockheed, Bell Aircraft, Hiller and Clark SNCASO (Société National de Construction _ possible. Electronics. Other contractors who started Aeronautique Sud Ouest) went one step fur- On 9th March 1992 Aviation Week & Space their own private research programmes were _ ther and employed Townsend Brownas their Technology carried a sensational article, Boeing, Curtiss-Wright and North American. — consultant. Several small discs were builtand — which claimed that the Northrop-Grumman ips. NREDRCE Townsend Brown’s theory) create a substan- tial gravity wave for the vehicle to ride on and he considered the disc shape ideal, because it made a large smooth dielectric area possible. The aircraft's primary turbojet propulsion would now be operating in flame jet genera- tion mode, running relatively cool and form- ing a component of the electrogravitic system. Engine thrust would no longer be responsible for pushing the aircraft forward and the relatively small fuel consumption was expected to provide intercontinental range. At the same time the engine’s infra-red signa- ture would virtually disappear, along with a reduction or perhaps total elimination of con- trails. As the positively charged ion field soft- ened the boundary layer the aircraft could easily push through the supersonic barrier, reducing the effects of turbulence and possi- bly eliminating a sonic boom. Townsend Brown predicted very high levels of perfor- mance for his Winterhaven design, suggest- ing it would be capable of Mach 3.5, with a ceiling in excess of 100,000ft (30,500m). Although this system wasn’t a full-blown science-fiction-style anti-gravity drive, it promised to be a massive step forward in air- craft propulsion technology. As a conse- quence, the USAF drew up plans for the long term funding of Project Winterhaven in November 1954 and they issued a string of secret research contracts to aerospace spe- cialists. These companies included Martin, Convair, Sperry Rand, Sikorsky, Lear, Dou- glas, Lockheed, Bell Aircraft, Hiller and Clark Electronics. Other contractors who started their own private research programmes were Boeing, Curtiss-Wright and North American. 164 Secret Projects: Flying Saucer Aircraft