Tailspin Turtle
I spent some time looking for J58 stuff when I was writing my monograph on the Vought F8U-3 "Super Crusader", for which the original J58 was considered as a way to further increase its top speed and altitude.
Hey -- I have your book. I'm surprised the F8U-3 was as good a performer as it was, I'm surprised it could run supersonic longer than the F-104 could. It also resolved a lot of questions I had regarding the fire-control system.
Mach 3 at 70,000 feet was the goal.
I'm surprised they couldn't do Mach 3 with the J75 as it was. There were three models that Chance-Vought built, the V-401 which was the baseline model; then there was the V-418/-419 which I think were J-58 powered
(were those the advanced variants described)?
The J58 engine diameter was stated as approximately 55 inches and the length, 18 feet with afterburner, making it four feet shorter but a little big bigger around than the J75.
When you say 55 inches, do you mean at the widest section, or at the intake? Because IIRC the J91 was 55 inches at the inlet diameter and the J58 was supposedly like 80% the size.
One set of J58 specs available to Vought stated a weight of 5,900 lbs compared to the equivalent configuration of the J75 that was 50 lbs heavier. The uninstalled sea level static numbers were 300 lbs/sec air flow, Mil power thrust of 18,200 lbs at 0.925 SFC, and Combat thrust of 26,000 lbs at 2.10 SFC. Only a little better or worse than the J75. At speed and altitude, however, it was a different story.
I thought the J58 was said to produce 50% more thrust than the J75
(33,400 is less than 50% greater)
lomapaseo
The JT-9, the JT-11 and the JT-12 (I couldn't tell them apart looking at the cut-a-way drawings)
You sure about the JT12? I looked at a picture of it and it didn't look at all like a JT9 and JT11
The JT-9 never made it to the supersonic bomber but was the largest of these similar shapes and maybe the one that you recall.
It was designated the J91 by the military.
The mockup of the JT-11 (Pre J58) still sits in the museum at P&W today and it's externals look nothing like the J58 today.
It was called the J58 back then too. The versions adapted for the A-12/YF-12/SR-71/M-21 were substantially different and had little in common.
R.C.