Oddball Interceptors

[dy031101]

I'd start with B-58, but hey, might as well make it a convenient place for others to share non-B-58 ideas as well...... and perhaps the topics of mixed-powered interceptors might be brought up in the future when my thoughts on them become less fragmented.

I was starting from AN/ASG-18 and AIM-47 for converting Western supersonic bombers into high speed, high alttitude interceptor like Tu-128M or the fine Blinder interceptor model McGreig built.

Adopting the weapons pod for AIM-47 carriage was a simple enough idea.  On to the fire control system.

Then I read from the web that a B-58 was used to test AN/ASG-18 and AIM-47...... I then googled for the test machine, nicknamed "Snoopy"...... found it here.

Looking at the over-lengthened (IMHO) nose, I began to wonder this question:

Was the installation done simply because it was expedient to do it that way?  Would it have been possible to avoid lengthening the nose by maybe re-arranging some internal component in the nose/forward fuselage (like the refuelling receptable) or displacing them somewhere else?  Or would a more compact radar really be needed?

[Maverick]

I seem to recall that an interceptor version of the B-58 was planned amongst others early in its development.

[Archibald]

Look at Joe Baughers home page - there's snippets of informations on B-58s fighters derivatives, aparently for the ADC...  

[dy031101]

Look at Joe Baughers home page - there's snippets of informations on B-58s fighters derivatives, aparently for the ADC...

Couldn't find any- can you point out the specific page?

[Mossie]

There was an interceptor variant of the Canberra planned too.  Can't remember the exact designation without flicking through BSP, but it would have carried a pair of Firestreak or Red Top on pylons hanging down from the wingtips.

Slightly OT, mentioning the Hustler, I've wondered about a scalorama B-58 interceptor.  Take a 1/72 Hustler & turn it into a 1/48 fighter, with various mods.  It would still be about 19m long in 1/48, a reasonable sized interceptor, although smaller than the F-106.

[Archibald]

There was an interceptor variant of the Canberra planned too.  Can't remember the exact designation without flicking through BSP, but it would have carried a pair of Firestreak or Red Top on pylons hanging down from the wingtips.

Slightly OT, mentioning the Hustler, I've wondered about a scalorama B-58 interceptor.  Take a 1/72 Hustler & turn it into a 1/48 fighter, with various mods.  It would still be about 19m long in 1/48, a reasonable sized interceptor, although smaller than the F-106.

Canberra mk.12 with Red Deans - they found that the subsonic testbed was more efficient than the supersonic interceptor planned around the missile! It was circa 1958...

Joe baugher page on the B-58 http://home.att.net/~jbaugher2/b58.html

voila...  

[elmayerle]

The various proposed interceptor drivatives of the Vigilante - most known being the NAR-349 3-engined one.

[Shasper]

On the B-58 note, why not ditch that big droptank/weaps pod & go with a bunch of palleted AIM-47/54s with a smaller, fuel only tank?


Shas B)

[jcf]

'English Electric Aircraft and their Predecessors' lists the P.23 as a variant of the Lightning.
No further details.

Jon

[retro_seventies]

So many wonderful ideas....

Thinking along the canberra missileer vain...a soviet version based on the il-28 beagle?  (Or just a version of the B-57 with radar and BVR AAMs?)

....or an f-111b style su-24 fencer?  Just smoosh a foxbat radar and missiles on there and you're away - based on soviet carriers AND with regular interceptor units?


Some tweaks to an F-105 to make it into an interceptor?  It is an "F"-105 after all, not a B or an A.

YUM.

Lots of fun things here, all would look good alongside a Mirage IV heavy interceptor!

[jcf]

B-47 seems an obvious candidate, armed with a bellyful of rail-mounted Falcons ala the 102 and 106.

Jon

[Iranian F-14A]

Tu-22M Backfire armed with AA-9 Amos and possibly AA-10s and -12s.

I think I remember seeing a pic of a B-1 with weapons around the front that included the Phoenix.

I also remember reading when the Tu-128 Fiddler was getting ready to get retired,there was a plan to use the Tu-22 Blinder as a replacement,although,given the age of the Blinder itself,I'm thinking the Backfire would have made more sense.

[Chris707]

I was reading a snippet in an old RAF Flying Review (early 1960s) vintage over a plan to put Sidewinders on ferret Stratojets to provide some self-protection against MiGs; certainly this was possible, given the reported downing of a Chinese fighter by a P-3, but it would have to be a surprise shot against a fighter that had streaked by after a rearward attack; front-quarter shots would be nigh-impossible with first generation AIM-9s, and its hard to conceive a maneuvering kill..

Chris

http://www.dataviewbooks.com/what-if.html

[Chris707]

Additionally, SRAM was *considered* as a strategic AAM to take out Soviet AWACS, so you could have an AAM_armed B-52..of sorts...

[Mossie]

Reminds me, not an interceptor, but Nimrod is regularly fitted with sidewinders for self defence & often gets the title of 'the world's largest fighter'.  It could be an interceptor, there's plenty of room for an air interception radar & it could house all sorts of AAM's in the weapons bay.  Even a very long range missile like the AIM-54 could be carried without the aerodynamic penalties of conventional fighters.  I guess that could be said for any aircraft with a weapons bay.