XV-4 Hummingbird

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XV-4 Hummingbird

First prototype XV-4 Hummingbird
Type VTOL
Manufacturer Lockheed
Maiden flight 7 July 1962
Status Retired
Primary user United States Army
Number built 2

The Lockheed XV-4 Hummingbird (originally designated VZ-10) was a U.S. Army project in the 1960s, one of many attempts to produce a V/STOL vertical take off / landing jet. At a design speed of 336 mph, the Hummingbird was slower than some propeller-powered transports.

The design used doors at the top and bottom of the fuselage intended to augment thrust ejected into this area with cold air. In theory, a 11,607 lb aircraft could be lifted by a 6,600 lbf engine. Unfortunately, performance was far below the estimates only 1.04 thrust-to-weight in practice and the prototype crashed on 10 June 1964, killing the pilot. The second aircraft was converted to lift jets instead, also crashing after several tests.

Rockwell's XFV-12 would be even less successful at venting cold air to augment thrust through the wings. The Lockheed F-35 Joint Strike Fighter would later employ a shaft-driven lift fan, also located in the fuselage and drawing on the lessons of the Hummingbird.

None of the early American V/STOL designs would result in a production plane. The British Hawker Siddeley Harrier used vectoring nozzles, while the Russian Yakovlev Yak-38 Forger attack jet used lift jets in conjunction with rotating rear nozzles.

[edit] Specifications (first prototype)

General characteristics

Performance

[edit] See also

Comparable aircraft

Related lists

[edit] References

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Aircraft produced by Lockheed
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designations

Basic Model Numbers: L-1 · L-2 · L-3 · L-4 · L-5 · L-7 · L-8 · L-9 · L-10 · L-11 · L-012 · (L-013 not assigned) · L-014 · L-015 · L-016 · L-017 · L-018 · L-019 · L-020 · L-021 · L-022 · L-023 · L-024 · (L-025 not assigned) · L-026 · L-027 · (L-028 not assigned) · L-029 · L-030 · L-031 · L-032 · L-033 · L-034 · L-035 · (L-036 not assigned) · L-037 · (L-038 and L-039 not assigned) · L-040 · L-041 · L-042 · L-044 · L-045 · L-049 · L-050 · L-051 · L-052 · L-060 · L-061 · L-062 · L-075 · L-080 · L-081 · L-082 · L-083 · L-084 · L-085 · L-086 · L-087 · L-088 · L-089 · L-090 · L-091 · L-092 · L-093 · L-094 · L-092 · L-099 · L-100 · L-193 · L-245 · L-246 · L-300 · L-329 · L-351 · L-500 · L-645

California Lockheed Temporary Design Numbers (TDN): CL-282 · CL-288 · CL-295 · CL-320 · CL-325 · CL-329 · CL-346 · CL-379 · CL-400 · CL-407 · CL-475 · CL-595 · CL-704 · CL-760 · CL-823 · CL-901 · CL-915 · CL-934 · CL-981 · CL-984 · CL-985 · CL-1026 · CL-1195 · CL-1200 · CL-1400 · CL-1600 · CL-1700 · CL-1800 · CL-1980 ·
By role

Airliners and Civil Transports: Vega · Electra · Electra Junior · Super Electra · Lodestar · Constellation · Saturn · Electra · L-402 · JetStar · L-1011

Military Transports: C-64 · C-121 · R6V · C-130/C-130J · C-141 · C-5 · TriStar

Experimental/Prototypes: NF-104A · XFV · XF-90 · XF-104 · XH-51 · XP-49 · XP-58 · XV-4 · YP-24

Fighters: P-38 · P/F-80 · F-94 · F-104 · F-16  · F-117 · F-22 · F-35

Helicopters: XH-51 · AH-56

Patrol: Hudson · PV · P-2 · P-3 · S-3 · CP-140

Reconnaissance: U-2 · A-12 · SR-71

Trainers: T-33 · T2V/T-1
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US Army VTOL aircraft designations 1956-1962

VZ-1  • VZ-2 • VZ-3 • VZ-4 • VZ-5 • VZ-6 • VZ-7 • VZ-8  • VZ-9 • VZ-10  • VZ-11  • VZ-12
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United States tri-service STOL and VTOL aircraft designations post-1962

OV-1  • CV-2  • XV-3  • XV-4  • XV-5  • V-6  • CV-7  • XV-8/AV-8A/AV-8B  • XV-9  • OV-10  • XV-11  • OV-12/XFV-12  • (V-13 and V-14 not assigned)  • XV-15  • AV-16  • (V-17 not assigned)  • UV-18  • (V-19 not assigned) • UV-20  • (V-21 not assigned)  • V-22  • UV-23
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