McDonnell XF-85 Goblin – Photos & Vidéos

Lla Gobelin McDonnell XF-85 est un prototype d’avion de chasse américain conçu pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale par McDonnell Aircraft. Il était destiné à se déployer à partir de la baie de bombe du bombardier géant Convair B-36 comme un chasseur parasite. Le XF-85’le rôle visé était de défendre les bombardiers contre les avions intercepteurs hostiles, un besoin démontré pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. McDonnell a construit deux prototypes avant que l’Armée de l’air (USAAF) ne m termine le programme.

Source: McDonnell XF-85 Gobelin sur Wikipedia

Lla Gobelin McDonnell XF-85 was an experimental fighter aircraft designed by the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation in the late 1940s. It was intended to be deployed from the bomb bay of a B-36 Peacemaker bomber as a parasite fighter to defend the bomber from enemy interceptors. The Goblin had a small, egg-shaped fuselage with a bubble canopy, short wings with wingtip stabilizers, and a single turbojet engine. The aircraft was equipped with four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns and could carry two 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs or rockets under its wings. The Goblin was attached to a trapeze mechanism inside the bomb bay of the B-36 and lowered or raised by a hydraulic system. The pilot had to manually dock and undock the fighter from the trapeze, which required precise flying skills and good visibility.
Lla Goblin was tested in 1948 and 1949, but it faced many technical and operational challenges. The aircraft had poor performance and stability, limited range and endurance, and no landing gear. The docking procedure was difficult and dangerous, especially in bad weather or under enemy fire. The concept of parasite fighters was also becoming obsolete as jet fighters improved their speed and range. The Goblin program was cancelled in 1949 after only two prototypes were built and seven flights were made. The Goblin remains one of the most unusual and ambitious aircraft designs in aviation history.