Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!cbnews!military From: uokmax!randy@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu (Longshot) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: F-117 vs F-19 -- List of Army/Air Force Fighter Designations Message-ID: <1990Aug18.182743.24801@cbnews.att.com> Date: 18 Aug 90 18:27:43 GMT References: <1990Aug16.030708.16047@cbnews.att.com> Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker) Organization: Engineering Computer Network, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK Lines: 41 Approved: military@att.att.com From: uokmax!randy@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu (Longshot) wmartin@STL-06SIMA.ARMY.MIL (Will Martin) writes: >From: Will Martin There are many gaps in the series when we think of the >usual ones that come to mind: B-17, -24, -25, -29, -36, -47, -49 (I think >that was the Flying Wing), -52, -57, -58, -70, and now the B-1 & B-2. Don't forget the heavily-modified B-29 listed as B-50. >Filling in those missing numbers would be most helpful and interesting. Agreed. >I know your fighter list included quite a few with X >designations, but wasn't there a completely separate and distinct >"X-" series of eXperimental aircraft, including the rocket >planes for sound-barrier research? For a while, all planes still in prototype were prefixed by X. The difference between them and the X-planes is that they also had a second letter, i.e. "XB-70," the ill-fated Valkyrie. > There was one with a looonnngg needle nose and stubby wings >like an F-104, for example; I keep thinking "X-3" but then think that >referred to a much earlier and less-sleek model. X-3 Stiletto. Lindberg Models has reissued a kit of it in their "Classical Replicas" series. As far as the gaps go, in war time there was a great deal of development that was discarded due to need for rush. Now, in peacetime, contractors can take the time to take the design they have and work out all the design flaws. -- Randy J. Ray University of Oklahoma, Norman Campus (405)/325-5370 !chinet!uokmax!randy randy@uokmax.uucp randy@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu "He's not afraid of the judgement. He knows of horrors worse than your Hell." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~