Lockheed V-156 Jet Patrol Airplane Project of 1944

[jzichek]

Check out this article at RetroMechanix.com on the Lockheed V-156, a little-known project for a naval jet patrol airplane from November 1944:



The accompanying gallery features 26 images, including several high resolution artist's impressions of this elegant design.

-Jared

[PR19_Kit]

All very intruiging, but where the devil are the engines? 

[Jschmus]

There appears to be a shadow under the leading edge of the wing near the fuselage.  That might mean the engines are buried under the wing.

[RussC]

Yes, looks like a very flat side intake under the leading edges and the exhaust appears to be under the trailing edge, its not clear as to the number of engines either, but I'm guessing two. Beautiful thin wings and slender build, almost sailplane appearance and a V-tail to boot- but what does it do? Too much crew for a photo ship, and recon in the age of the late war and past it involved radar, not just binoculars. There is a bomb load and a ASW missile , probably "mighty mouse". Got a remote control tail stinger. Hardly seems a replacement for flying boats given the range of early jets.

[Stargazer]

Yes, looks like a very flat side intake under the leading edges and the exhaust appears to be under the trailing edge, its not clear as to the number of engines either, but I'm guessing two. Beautiful thin wings and slender build, almost sailplane appearance and a V-tail to boot- but what does it do? Too much crew for a photo ship, and recon in the age of the late war and past it involved radar, not just binoculars. There is a bomb load and a ASW missile , probably "mighty mouse". Got a remote control tail stinger. Hardly seems a replacement for flying boats given the range of early jets.

Go check the 26 pages of documents and the article, you'll find this to be a very interesting and original jet patrol proposal for the US Navy. I'd love to see this one in model form!

[PR19_Kit]

Go check the 26 pages of documents and the article, you'll find this to be a very interesting and original jet patrol proposal for the US Navy. I'd love to see this one in model form!

I did that, but it still doesn't mention the engines.......

It does look as if there's some sign of them under the wing roots but you'd have thought that Lockheed just might have thought they were important enough to mention, especially as they were THEIR engines as well!

[Stargazer]

Engine is buried within the fuselage, with two exhausts underneath.

Engine arrangement can be seen in this diagram:
http://retromechanix.com/articles/aerospace/lockheed-v-156-jet-patrol-airplane-project-1944/?pid=2816

The jet engine is of the rocket type, and is described here:
http://retromechanix.com/articles/aerospace/lockheed-v-156-jet-patrol-airplane-project-1944/?pid=2831

[rickshaw]

Rocket?  Must be a very short patrol then!

[RussC]

Yes, looks like a very flat side intake under the leading edges and the exhaust appears to be under the trailing edge, its not clear as to the number of engines either, but I'm guessing two. Beautiful thin wings and slender build, almost sailplane appearance and a V-tail to boot- but what does it do? Too much crew for a photo ship, and recon in the age of the late war and past it involved radar, not just binoculars. There is a bomb load and a ASW missile , probably "mighty mouse". Got a remote control tail stinger. Hardly seems a replacement for flying boats given the range of early jets.

Go check the 26 pages of documents and the article, you'll find this to be a very interesting and original jet patrol proposal for the US Navy. I'd love to see this one in model form!

I'll quietly rub this under a few noses at Anigrand...  

[jzichek]

To clarify, the V-156 was powered by two jet engines (possibly the ill-fated Lockheed J37) and three rocket motors (RATO) used to shorten the take-off run. The intakes for the jets are located on the sides of the fuselage just below the leading edge of the wing root. It almost appears that Lockheed deliberately obscured them; perhaps they had not yet settled on an optimum shape for the intakes when the proposal was submitted.