Vought XS2U
The Vought XS2U-1W was a design for an all-weather carrier-borne anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft. A twin-engine, twin-tailed, mid-wing, propeller-driven design with tricycle landing gear, it lost to the Grumman S2F Tracker in the United States Navy competition, and the two prototypes were not completed.
Development and design
Chance Vought Aircraft began work on 25 January 1950 on a U.S. Navy proposal for an all-weather anti-submarine warfare design. The company constructed a full-scale mock-up. A contract-of-intent was awarded for two prototypes, BuNos 133780 and 133781. The designation was later changed to TWU-1.[1] A bulged radome was astride the center fuselage, and the forward fuselage/cockpit design bore a passing resemblance to the later Grumman Mohawk. Three-blade props similar to those used on the S2F were installed on the mock-up, which had a two-wheel nosegear, and single-tire main gear that would retract into the engine nacelles. The twin-tail fins were canted inward, 90 degrees from the tailplane dihedral.
Construction was begun on the fuselages and wings, but technical difficulties arose over how to fold the wings for carrier stowage. A complicated double-fold of each wing outboard of the radial engine was required. The contract was canceled and neither airframe was completed, the Navy electing to acquire the S2F Tracker instead.
See also
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
References
- Moran, Gerard P. (1978). The Corsair, and other - Aeroplanes Vought. Terre Haute, Indiana: Aviation Heritage Books. ISBN 0-911852-83-2.
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