February 11, 2006 at 3:49 am
An earlier Light Weight Fighter program
I was reading about the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter the other day.
I found it interesting that during the USAF’s ‘Rfp’ (Request for proposal) for a ‘Light Weight Fighter, Northrop submitted a design designated the N-102 Fang.
Does anyone know of this design.
Does anyone have a three-view drawing and technical data / specifications for this design?
Whilst on the subject of the Starfighter, the book also mentioned that the USAF’s attempt to get out of its want (contract commitment) for the F-104 Starfighter in its service, by demanding that it be able to carry and launch the AIR-2A Genie nuclear armed air-to-air rocket. For the USAF thought that the F-104 being a light-weight fighter design would not be able to meet this new challenging demanded of it, and hence justify its reason for curtail its production.
But again Lockheed was to take on and meet this challenging demand, and came up with specialised single-missile launcher that fitted to the centre fuselage hard-point / pylon of the Starfighter that allowed the carrying and launching of this large and heavy nuclear rocket.
Lockheed was said to have carried out many successful tests with the F-104 / Genie combination.
But been beaten at its own game, the USAF decided that this demand was no longer valid, once it had realised that Lockheed’s ‘Rocket with a man in it’ (the Starfight) was ready and willing to meet this new challenge. The USAF would use the Starfighters range limitation as its excuse to drop the F-104 from active front-line service.
Has anyone seen photos of an F-104 Starfighter carrying, let alone launching the Genie missile?
It would make an interesting picture because of the small size of the Starfighterf and the large size of the Genie
Regards
Pioneer
Mock-up of the Northrop N-102
By: CIRCUS 6 - 30th May 2008 at 14:08
or more acuratly Northrop Grummen since they swallowed the old Bethpage Iron Works…
Or more accurately, Northrop Grumman.:D:D:D
By: Zebedee - 30th May 2008 at 09:05
Current owners of Northrop are actually Northrop… or more acuratly Northrop Grummen since they swallowed the old Bethpage Iron Works…
You might want to take a peek at the secret projects website, http://www.secretprojects.co.uk, theres bound to be some stuff on the fang there…
Zeb
By: Pioneer - 30th May 2008 at 07:40
Well better late than never!
Malcolm – I have finally put that letter (e-mail) to the Northrop-Grumman Corporation, in regards to the Northrop N-102 Fang
Fingers crossed it will get somewhere or to the right person!
I will keep you posted
Regards
Pioneer
By: Malcolm McKay - 11th February 2006 at 10:52
All I have are the same photos you have posted. As you say it was only a mockup.
Have you considered writing to the current corporate owners of Northrop – which IIRC is the designer of the B2. Given the amalgamation in the US Aerospace industry it is Boeing I believe.