Republic XF-103

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XF-103 Thunderwarrior

Type	Interceptor
Manufacturer	Republic Aviation Company
Status	Cancelled at mockup stage.
Unit cost	US$104 million for the program^[1]

The Republic XF-103 Thunderwarrior was an American project to develop a Mach 3 interceptor aircraft to destroy Soviet bombers. Despite a prolonged development, it never flew.

1 Development
2 Specifications (XF-103, as designed)
3 References
4 External links
5 Related content

[edit] Development

In 1949 the USAF issued a request for an advanced supersonic interceptor, known as the "1954 Interceptor" project, or Weapon System WS-201A. It was to be a supersonic aircraft with all-weather capability, radar, and air-to-air missile armament.

Republic was one of six companies to submit proposals. The Republic proposal, AP-57, was selected for further development on 2 July 1951, along with the Convair design that eventually became the F-102 Delta Dagger.

AP-57 was an extremely advanced design intended to be built almost entirely of titanium, capable of speeds up to Mach 4 (2,600 mph/4,160 km/h) at 80,000 ft (24,400 m). To provide such performance it was intended to have a Wright J67 turbojet (a license-built version of the Bristol Olympus engine) supplemented by an RJ55-W-1 ramjet for high-speed use. Both engines were fed by a large ventral intake.

The fuselage was completely smooth, with the cockpit submerged to reduce drag. There was no canopy for the pilot, only two small side windows. The airframe was a tailed delta wing configuration, with a delta planform and additional horizontal tailplane. The vertical fin was supplemented by a folding ventral fin for high-speed stability. Weapons were to be carried in fuselage weapons bays. Guidance was to be provided by the same Hughes MA-1 radar fire control system (originally MX-1179) as the later F-106 Delta Dart.

Although the design was authorized for further development under the designation XF-103 in September 1951, it was cancelled on 21 August 1957, and no flying prototypes were ever completed.

[edit] Specifications (XF-103, as designed)

[edit] General characteristics

Crew: one pilot
Length: 77 ft (23.5 m)
Wingspan: 34 ft 5 in (10.5 m)
Height: 16 ft 7 in (5.1 m)
Wing area: 401 ft² (37.2 m²)
Empty: 24,949 lb (11,317 kg)
Loaded: 38,505 lb (17,466 kg)
Maximum takeoff: 42,864 lb (19,443 kg)
Powerplant: Wright XJ67-W-3 turbojet with 15,000 lbf (66.7 kN) thrust, augmented by one Wright XRJ55-W-1 ramjet with 18,800 lbf (83.6 kN) thrust

[edit] Performance

Maximum speed: 1,985 mph (3,195 km/h) at altitude, 2,600 mph (4,180 km/h) with ramjet
Combat radius: 245 mi (394 km)
Ferry range: 1,545 mi (2,486 km)
Service ceiling: 69,000 ft (21,000 m)
Rate of climb: 19,000 ft/min (5,800 m/min)
Wing loading: 96 lb/ft² (470 kg/m²)
Thrust-to-Weight: 0.57:1 (afterburner, no ramjet); 0.95:1 (afterburner and ramjet)