Leduc 0.10 - Billeder & Videoer

Den Leduc 0,10 var et forskningsfly bygget i Frankrig, et af verdens første fly, der fløj udelukkende drevet af en ramjet

Kilde: Leduc 0.10 på Wikipedia

Den Leduc 0,10 was a remarkable achievement in the history of aviation. It was the first aircraft to fly solely powered by a ramjet, a type of jet engine that uses the high speed of the aircraft to compress the air before combustion. The Leduc 0.10 was designed by René Leduc, a French engineer who had been working on ramjet propulsion since 1938. He faced many challenges and delays during the German occupation of France, but he managed to complete his prototype in 1947 with the help of Breguet Aviation.
Leduc 0.10 havde et unikt design med et dobbeltvægget skrog, der dannede ramjetindløbet. Piloten sad inde i den indre skal, mens den ydre skal gav aerodynamisk form og beskyttelse. Flyet kunne ikke starte af sig selv, da ramjetfly har brug for en minimumshastighed for at fungere. Derfor blev det båret højt af et større fly, såsom en Sud-Est Languedoc, og frigivet i stor højde. Den første flyvning uden motor blev foretaget i oktober 1947, og den første motordrevne flyvning blev foretaget i april 1949. Leduc 0.10 nåede hastigheder på op til Mach 0.85 og højder på op til 36.000 fod, hvilket demonstrerer gennemførligheden og ydeevnen af ramjetfremdrift.
The Leduc 0.10 was followed by two more prototypes, one of which was modified to have two small turbojets on the wingtips to improve landing control. However, both prototypes were lost in crashes in 1951 and 1952, injuring their pilots. A third prototype, which reverted to the original configuration, was built and flew 83 test flights until 1956. It is now preserved at the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace at Le Bourget. Leduc also developed two more advanced ramjet aircraft, the Leduc 0.21 and the Leduc 0.22, but they never entered production or service.