The fourth RAF V-Force bomber

[elmayerle]

Mart

My Vigilante Interceptor will be used for the RAF to patrol the Faroes/Iceland passage etc.

Twin tail with a rocket motor in the bombay for a quick dash to target. Not sure of weapon load curently but needs to be BVR to go Bear Hunting. Origional idea is from info supplied by Evan on this site ages ago, got an old Airfix kit off Nick to do it with.

Chris

In 1960 NAA sent brochures for a fighter version called the Retaliator to the USAF. They contained information on 8 potential versions with various internal and external missile fits, and some with a Rocketdyne XLR46-2 rocket motor between the two J79 nozzles.

In 1971 a further proposal was made for a Vigilante version, the NA-349 Improved Manned Interceptor with a third J79 between and above the original pair

Damn, anyone know where I can get a copy of that brochure?  Yeah, I wish I could 'cause those sound seriously interesting to model from a whif standpoint.

[The Rat]

Hmmm... I'm thinking of a VG Vigilante, sort of a nice alliteration with the name.  B)  

[Archibald]

I have imagined an interceptor Mirage IV (to protect corsica from algerian Tu-22 )with the same kind of engines -Atar 9K50+ SEPR rockets- . Loaded with 4 R-530 medium range AAM semi recessed, and Mirage F1 fire and control system. The Mirage IV was really the French equivalent of the vigilante, so why not?  

[MartG]

the idea of a rocket motor boost seemed right for the time span and it's one the RAF toyed with in the 50/60's

Chris

I can't find any figures for the XLR46-NA-2 engine proposed by NAA though the DeHavilland Spectre 5A planned for the SR177 was rated at 10,000lbs thrust, which would be a useful addition to the 2 x 17,000lbs from the J79s.

There was also a Double Spectre with ( presumably ) twice the thrust of the single one.

The other 'common' UK rockets which could fit would include the DH Stentor with up to 24,000lbs thrust as fitted to operational Blue Steel missiles - it had two chambers, one large for boost and one small for cruise with 6,000lbs thrust .  

[Hammer-nikit]

Tell me how you guys like my Vigilant B.Mk. 1 (I dropped the last "e" on purpose, to me it sounds much more "British" this way).

Comments?

Hammer

[MartG]

Love that !  

[MartG]

the idea of a rocket motor boost seemed right for the time span and it's one the RAF toyed with in the 50/60's

Chris

Chris

You've got me thinking about building one of these now, so I've been doing a bit more research on British rocket motors available in the 60s. As mentioned above the Stentor dual chamber motor was fitted to the Blue Steel missile - this had a large chamber with a fixed 25,000 lb thrust and a smaller chamber throttleable between 1000lbs and 6000lbs thrust. The smaller chamber was used as the basis for the Gamma engine as fitted in the Black Arrow satellite launcher, and a pair of them were also fitted into the back of South African Buccaneer S.50s, where they developed up to 8000lbs thrust each ( so there is a precedent for aircraft use for this engine   ) - in this form they were called the Bristol Siddeley BS.605 engine.

For an interceptor Vigilante I could see either the full Stentor being used ( for a model the back end of the Blue Steel from the Airfix Vulcan could provide a basis for the conversion - now where did I put that spare Blue Steel  ) or multiples of the BS.605 as fitted to the Buccaneer.

These engines burned High Test Peroxide and kerosene - in the Buccaneer the kerosene was drawn from the aircrafts normal fuel tanks while the HTP was stored in special tanks. The same could be done in the Vigilante, with the HTP tank located in the weapons bay ahead of the rocket motor.

[NARSES2]

Love the Vigilant B.1

Mart must admit I was thinking along the lines of the DH Spectre myself as they were available and tested. As for building it - go ahead mate mine is a long way down in the queue - probably post retirement  

Chris