Aerocon Dash 1.6 wingship

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The Aerocon Dash 1.6 wingship, a 5,000-ton ground effect vehicle concept

The Aerocon Dash-1.6 wingship was a proposed American ground-effect vehicle intended to carry large cargos and thousands of passengers over long distances at near-aircraft speeds.

The vehicle was claimed to be able to carry a combination of 1,500 short tons (1,400 t; 3,000,000 lb; 1,400,000 kg) of cargo and 2,000 passengers a distance of 11,500 miles (18,500 km; 10,000 nmi) at speeds close to those of commercial airliners.[1]

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) evaluated the Aerocon design, along with submissions from several other manufacturers, as part of a preliminary study of the concept during the 1990s to determine whether a billion-dollar program was viable, to develop a wingship for military uses.[2][3][4] By the end of 1994, the Department of Defense decided that the design was too high a risk and did not offer further funding.[5]

Specifications[]

Data from W. I.: Technology Roadmap, Appendix C - Structures, page C-4 – C-6

General characteristics

  • Capacity: more than 3,000 passengers; 2,000 troops[6]
  • Length: 566 ft 0 in (173 m)
  • Wingspan: 340 ft 0 in (104 m)
  • Height: 112 ft 0 in (34 m)
  • Wing area: 38,720.0 sq ft (3,597.21 m2)
  • Empty weight: 3,588,000 lb (1,627,000 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 10,000,000 lb (4,500,000 kg)
  • Example Cargo capacity. Data from[7]
    • 32 helicopters
    • 20 tanks
    • 4 landing craft
    • 300 105mm howitzers
  • Powerplant: 20 × unknown type of jet engines, 90,000 lbf (400 kN) thrust each

Performance

  • Cruise speed: 460 mph (741 km/h, 400 kn)
  • Range: 12,000 mi (19,000 km, 10,000 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 15,000 ft (4,600 m)
  • Lift-to-drag: 32.5
  • Wing loading: 258 lb/sq ft (1,260 kg/m2)

See also[]

References[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Frederick, Donald (19 September 1993). "Giant Soviet airship could evolve into cruise ship or winged hospital: Aviation: The 540-ton Caspian Sea Monster would be reborn as a 5,000-ton 'wingship' if one American has his way. The original, built in '60s, crashed in '70s". Los Angeles Times. National Geographic. p. A11. ISSN 0458-3035. OCLC 474112039. Archived from the original on 22 March 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  2. ^ "Wingtip Investigation Volume 3: Technical roadmap", Advanced Research Project Agency, September 30, 1994.
  3. ^ W. I.: Final Report, Chapter 2 - Introduction, page 2-1 – 2-2
  4. ^ Evers, Stacey (August 22, 1994). "U.S. wingship pursuit keyed to ARPA study". Aerospace Daily. Aviation Week & Space Technology. Vol. 141, no. 8. pp. 55–56. ISSN 0005-2175. OCLC 41598016.
  5. ^ Lardner, Richard (December 22, 1994). "Smaller vehicles may be worth pursuing: DOD study: Technical, cost risks of large wingships outweigh advantages". Inside the Pentagon. Vol. 10, no. 51. Inside Washington Publishers. pp. 1, 8–9. ISSN 2164-814X. JSTOR 43992627. OCLC 13302463.
  6. ^ Flynn, Barry (February 15, 1992). "Winged ship could airlift 2,000 troops". Local. The Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. p. A1. OCLC 37397036.
  7. ^ Lardner, Richard (December 13, 1993). "Aircraft could carry 2,000 troops: Wingship touted as best way to get future army to far-off hot spots". Inside the Army. 5 (50): 14–16. ISSN 2164-8182. JSTOR 43975735. OCLC 839737692.

Bibliography[]

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