Silhouette challenge

[skytrain10]

S41, welcome and I hope you will enjoy the group. I was replying to Sycamore's message when yours came up...so you will now have seen its not a Russian design.

So, so far we know its not a UK or Russian design, and as Squirrel has proposed a year, its time for another clue...this design goes back to the 1950's.

[evansb]

The horizontal line along the fuselage is similar to a Douglas DC-8, and the dimensions are also similar to the original DC-8, so I'll say it is a Douglas DC-8 Jetliner concept.

[Lindstrim]

I'll hazzard a guess and go for something French. Have no idea from there though

[skytrain10]

EvansB...you're sort of along the right lines, but this is not a Douglas design.

Lindstrim...not a French design.

[drawbarz]

Commercial jets are not really my area butto my eyes the fin and rudder shape look very '747ish' some kind of Boeing concept maybe..?

D.

[skytrain10]

Drawbarz....not a Boeing design, and this was actually designed as a military aircraft. I do not believe there was any proposed commercial application.

[one11]

So, to summarise......1950s military large-ish 4 jet aircraft project.
NOT UK, French or Russian
NOT Boeing Convair Douglas or NA

By elimination, something Lockheed - or Avro Canada ????

[dazdaz]

Chinese design?

[MReyn24050]

skytrain10's challenge

Martin Model Number 240 perhaps?

[skytrain10]

Sorry guys, been out and about.

To catch up
Not Chinese
Not Martin
Not Avro Canada
But...One11, it is a Lockheed design. So who can offer the model number?

[sycamore]

Lockheed 1000?

[skytrain10]

Sycamore, not the 1000, or at least that does not correspond to the designation I have.

A further clue...this aircraft was designed to meet a USAF requirement. Bids were received from a number of manufacturers. Lockheed, with this design, was the winning tender, but the aircraft never got built.

[skytrain10]

Well, as things have gone very quiet, one last clue.

Although Lockheed won the tender process with this design, it was a Boeing model that entered service with the USAF.

[evansb]

As Lockheed won the U.S. Defense Department contract for an aerial refueler, but never produced the aircraft that Boeing did, are you saying it would have been the Lockheed KC-135? I was looking for a specific Lockheed model number.

[skytrain10]

EvansB...close enough I think. The model number is the CL-321. As you correctly point out Lockheed won the aerial tanker competition against Boeing (and Convair, Douglas, Martin), but whilst the decision was being taken, the government had gone ahead and procured a number of KC-135's from Boeing as there was an urgent need for jet tanker capacity to support the B-47 and B-52. Boeing were well into the development of the 367 (what was to become the 707) by that time so the tanker variant was as close to being off the shelf as you could get with a minimal lead in time. When Lockheed finally won the competition it was effectively too late to turn back, and the CL-321 was far more expensive than the KC-135.

It is interesting to think how things would have turned out had Lockheed produced the aircraft (bear in mind Boeing produced over 700 C-135's). Would there have been a civil variant, a stretched variant...who knows!

You have control Bri.

[evansb]

Thank you. It is fun to ponder what-ifs. Here is one that did manage to leave the drawing board:

[S'land]

Is this the Menasco powered ALCOR DUO-6?

[evansb]

Yes, it is the Alcor Duo. S'land has control.

[S'land]

Thanks Bri. I have to confess that I came across the ALCOR the other day while looking for information on another aircraft and it stuck in my mind due to its 'interesting shape.

Here is the next one.

[skytrain10]

Arado TEW 16/43-23?