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Post by svenfromsweden on Apr 9, 2016 7:56:33 GMT -5
The idea to carry smaller planes attached to larger aircraft has created some of the most strange and curious weapons used during the Second World War. The largest and most unusual of them was called Zveno Project. The link below shows a complete report with a fantastic collection of photos and some questions. This weapon entered service and was used in combat? It was efficient? Visit the link below and give your opinion. aviacaoemfloripa.blogspot.com.br/2011/01/parasitas-russos.htmlBest Regards!
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Post by volkssturm on Apr 10, 2016 19:02:25 GMT -5
You can never fault Russian engineers for not thinking big. This was not a unique idea to them, though. In the 1930's the US Navy experimented with small biplane fighter that would have been carried by the big Zeppelin style lighter-than-air ships the Navy used, the Curtis Sparrowhawk. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_F9C_Sparrowhawk en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Akron_(ZRS-4)And in the late '40's the US Air Force fielded the gigantic Consolidated B36 bomber, which had an enormous range so it could reach Russia, but was pretty much dead meat to Russian interceptors. So they experimented with a tiny jet fighter that would have been carried on the B-36, the XF-85 Goblin. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_XF-85_GoblinIt wasn't a success. It proved difficult, if not in fact impossible, for the fighter to hook up and be recovered by the bomber. The B-36 itself was a dead end, and went out of service rather quickly. But it sure looked impressive. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_B-36_PeacemakerOn a side note, the Navy's small fleet of rigid LTA craft proved accident prone and particularly susceptible to bad weather, and went out of service before the war (though smaller Blimps proved useful for anti-submarine work). I've wondered on occasion is, had they still been available they wouldn't have proven useful in ferrying personnel across the Atlantic. Similar to Howard Hughes' idea for the "Spruce Goose," the giant flying boat which could have taken half a battalion or so to England in one flight (if they'd actually finished it in time).
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