Leduc 0.10 – Photos & Videos

Teh Leduc 0.10 was a research aircraft built in France, one of the world’s first aircraft to fly powered solely by a ramjet

Πηγή: Leduc 0.10 on Wikipedia

The 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.
The Leduc 0.10 had a unique design, with a double-walled fuselage that formed the ramjet inlet. The pilot sat inside the inner shell, while the outer shell provided aerodynamic shape and protection. The aircraft could not take off by itself, as ramjets need a minimum speed to operate. Therefore, it was carried aloft by a larger aircraft, such as a Sud-Est Languedoc, and released at high altitude. The first unpowered flight was made in October 1947, and the first powered flight was made in April 1949. The Leduc 0.10 reached speeds of up to Mach 0.85 and altitudes of up to 36,000 feet, demonstrating the feasibility and performance of ramjet propulsion.
Το Leduc 0.10 ακολουθήθηκε από δύο ακόμη πρωτότυπα, ένα από τα οποία τροποποιήθηκε για να έχει δύο μικρούς στροβιλοκινητήρες στις άκρες των φτερών για να βελτιώσει τον έλεγχο προσγείωσης. Ωστόσο, και τα δύο πρωτότυπα χάθηκαν σε συντριβές το 1951 και το 1952, τραυματίζοντας τους πιλότους τους. Ένα τρίτο πρωτότυπο, το οποίο επανήλθε στην αρχική διαμόρφωση, κατασκευάστηκε και πέταξε 83 δοκιμαστικές πτήσεις μέχρι το 1956. Σήμερα διατηρείται στο Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace στο Le Bourget. Η Leduc ανέπτυξε επίσης δύο πιο προηγμένα αεροσκάφη ramjet, το Leduc 0.21 και το Leduc 0.22, αλλά ποτέ δεν μπήκαν στην παραγωγή ή την υπηρεσία.