| Lockheed CL-1201 | |
|---|---|
 Schematics for the CL-1201 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Transport |
| Designer | |
| Status | Design study |
| Primary user | United States Air Force (projected) |
| Number built | None |
| History | |
| Developed from | CL-1170[1] |
TheLockheed CL-1201 was a design study byLockheed for a large 6,000-tonnuclear-powered transport aircraft during the late 1960s. One possible use of the concept was as anairborne aircraft carrier.[1]
Although theDepartment of Defense does not seem to have records of the study's ultimate outcome, the design itself has nonetheless been cited by several sources.[2][3]
The CL-1201 design project studied anuclear-powered aircraft of extreme size, with a wingspan of 1,120 feet (340 m).[4] Had it been built, it would have had the largest wingspan of any airplane to date,[5] and more than three times that of any aircraft of the 20th century.
The wing would be ofcrescent form, similar to the BritishHandley Page VictorV-bomber but, unlike the British design, it wastailless.
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Power would be derived from the heat generated by a nuclear reactor and transferred to four jet engines near the rear, where it would heat the air passing through to provide thrust. The craft would be capable of remaining airborne for extended periods, with an estimated endurance of 41 days. At low altitudes, the jets would burn conventional aviation fuel. In order to take off, the airplane required 182 additional vertical lift engines. These were similar to those used in theBoeing 747, a new aircraft at the time.
Two variants were studied, a logistics support aircraft and anairborne aircraft carrier. There was a rumored third variant, but information on such a model has never been made public.
The logistics support variant would have a conventional heavy transport role, carrying hundreds of troops and their equipment at once.
The airborne aircraft carrier would have carried as many as 22 fighter aircraft externally and would have had an internal dock capable of handling two air-to-ground shuttle transport aircraft.
Data fromLarge nuclear-powered subsonic aircraft for transoceanic commerce, p.4.[5]
General characteristics
Performance