Concept Aircraft : Boeing "Sensor Craft" UAV (2002)

Boeing "Sensor Craft" UAV (2002)

Supposedly a Top Secret "black" project currently under development by the Department of Defense, the Boeing "Sensor Craft" is purportedly an ultra-sophisticated unmanned surveillance aircraft that will someday replace the RA-4 Global Hawk, the Unmanned Aerial Combat Vehicle (UACV) that proved itself so useful in Afghanistan and in the early days of the Iraq War.

Large by UAV standards -- its wingspan is a full 100 feet -- the jet-powered Sensor Craft is said to be capable of flying a wide range of photographic and electronic intelligence-gathering missions while maintaining virtual invisibility to radar and infrared sensors.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : Lockheed X-44A MANTA (1999)

Lockheed X-44A MANTA (1999)

In an attempt to improve "stealth" technology, many aircraft designers and engineers have tinkered with the idea of eliminating tail and rudder surfaces altogether and instead using "thrust vectors" -- tiny onboard jets -- to provide yaw, pitch and roll control. In 1999, the U.S. Air Force began development of the X-44 MANTA (Multi-Axis, No-Tail Aircraft) based on the YF-22 Raptor as an experimental test bed for this research. Although initially scheduled to fly in 2007, the MANTA project has allegedly been scrubbed due to lack of funding.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : Strikestar UCAV (1996)

Strikestar UCAV (1996)

In April 1996, the U.S. Air Force commissioned a study titled "Air Force 2025" that examined the strategies, tactics and technologies the service would need to operate effectively in the first quarter of the 21st century. One of its recommendations was the development of an unmanned, long-range, long-endurance Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV), dubbed the "Strikestar," for long-range bombing missions. A larger version of the Darkstar UCAV already in development (see photo below), the Strikestar would be powered by two jet engines instead of its predecessor's single powerplant, have a wingspan of of 105 feet and could carry a variety of ordinance or surveillance equipment.

The Strikestar platform offered numerous advantages. It could cruise at altitudes up to 80,000 feet, making it virtually invulnerable to current SAM technology. Its 70-hour operating time meant it could hit targets virtually anywhere in the world. And because the craft would be operated by remote control, no lives would be risked in combat, and pilot fatigue would never be a problem.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : TR-3B (1994)

TR-3B (1994)

The triangular TR-3B was purportedly developed under the auspices of the top-secret National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) under the Air Force's super-duper Top Secret Aurora Program. Code named "Astra," the TR-3B -- incorporating captured "alien" technology -- is said to use highly pressured mercury accelerated by nuclear energy to produce a plasma that creates a field of "anti-gravity" around the ship. Conventional thrusters located at the tips of the craft allow it to perform all manner of rapid high speed maneuvers along all three axes.

Reports are that at least three TR-3Bs began operating out of Groom Lake (Area 51) in 1994 and have since been spotted all over the world. A centerpiece of modern UFO lore, the TR-3B was frequently seen (albeit it briefly and obscurely) in several episodes of Fox-TV's "The X-Files" TV series of the 1990s.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : Stingbat LHX Stealth Helicopter (1989)

Stingbat LHX Stealth Helicopter (1989)

In the 1980s, Hughes and other American aircraft manufacturers investigated concepts for the construction of radar-evading "Stealth" helicopters. Testors combined many of the ideas then under development -- including a faceted composite exterior, scimitar-shaped blades and a propeller-less tail -- to create this conjectural design.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : X-30 Hypersonic Bomber (1988)

X-30 Hypersonic Bomber (1988)

This is not the actual X-30 National Aerospace Plane (NASP- below) once under development by NASA, but a purely conjectural design developed by Monogram models. Featuring a legitimate "lifting body" shape, the Monogram X-30 was to employ hydrogen-burning engines to boost itself to the edge of space, then re-enter the atmosphere at five times the speed of sound to deliver nuclear weapons to enemy targets.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : MiG 37-B Ferret

MiG 37-B Ferret

The Soviet counterpart of the American F-19 Stealth, the MiG 37B "Ferret" combined a faceted airframe design with cooled exhausts, a radar-absorbing skin and sophisticated electronic countermeasures to remain virtually invisible to Allied radar. Purely conjectural, the design nonetheless turned out to be closer in shape to the actual F-117 Nighthawk than was Testors' own hypothetical F-19.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : B-2 Advanced Technology Bomber

B-2 Advanced Technology Bomber

Like Monogram, Revell responded to the breakthrough success of Testors' F-19 Stealth Fighter with a "Could Be..." Stealth model of its own. Only in this case, the plane was the long-rumored B-2 Stealth Bomber.

Working from known flying wing technology and the accepted requirements of Stealth designs, the engineers at Revell concocted this smooth, low-profile, tailless bat-wing design and released it under the "Birds of Prey" moniker. Their predictions were fairly on the mark; the actual B-2 turned out to be roughly the same shape and scale as Revell's kit -- but far more angular, especially at the wings' trailing ends.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : F-19 Stealth Fighter (1987)

F-19 Stealth Fighter (1987)

Not to be outdone by its rivals at Testors, Monogram responded to the unprecedented success of that company's F-19 with its own version of the elusive Stealth fighter. (In fact, Monogram bought the rights to the use the name "F-19 Stealth" from Testors!)

Monogram's version was even more low-profile and bat-like than Testors' model -- yet turned out to be just as inaccurate once the real Stealth was revealed to the public. (It turned out to be based on an earlier "artist's conception" done years earlier by a major aircraft manufacturer.)

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : Lockheed F-19 Stealth Fighter (1986)

Lockheed F-19 Stealth Fighter (1986)

In the mid-1970s, Lockheed and the U.S. Air Force began work on a radar-evading strike aircraft under the code name HAVE BLUE. By the early 1980s, word about this Top Secret project had leaked to the aviation press. Although specifics were vague, it was known that the plane employed a shape that deflected radar waves, had recessed engines with special cooling exhausts to minimize its infrared signature, and had a skin of radar-absorbing composites.

Based on what it purported to be "inside" information, Testors released this conceptual "F-19" in 1986. Garnering massive media attention, the design became the shape of the mysterious "Stealth Fighter" in the public's mind -- until the actual Stealth -- the F-117 Nighthawk -- was unveiled in 1990. As it turned out, Testors' sleek and low-profile Stealth looked not a thing like a highly angular, faceted F-117 it was meant to portray.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : Ragnarok Orbital Interceptor (1975)

Ragnarok Orbital Interceptor (1975)

The intimidating Ragnarok was created to serve as the world's first line of defense against possible alien invaders. Powered by two atomic engines, the craft had a cruising speed of 8,000 mph and was armed with nuclear-tipped air-to-air missiles. The aircraft also carried a parasite defense fighter armed with high-powered lasers. With copies costing $100,000 million each, the Ragnarok was apparently a good investment since, to date, all alien invasions have been successfully repelled.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : Boeing 2707-200 SST (1967)

Boeing 2707-200 SST (1967)

As early as 1952, engineers at Boeing Aircraft were working on designs for a Super-Sonic Transport (SST) that could ferry passengers coast-to-coast or from Europe and Asia at twice the speed of sound. However, it wasn't until 1963 that President John F. Kennedy formally committed the U.S. government to backing such a venture, this in response to the joint British and French plan to build their own SST, the Concorde. By 1966, Boeing had settled on a swing-wing design with a droop-nose, designated the 2707, a plane capable of carrying up 350 passengers at 1,800 mph. In 1967, a canard was added to the plane, now designated the 2702-200. Although a mock-up of the aircraft was built and extensive wind-tunnel tests made, noise, cost and environmental concerns ultimately scuttled this ambitious project, leaving the SST field to the British, the French and -- very briefly -- to the Russians with their ill-fated TU-144.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : Lockheed F-104 VTOL (1962)

Lockheed F-104 VTOL (1962)

Yet another in a long line of bizarre Vertical Take-Off & Landing (VTOL) concepts was this plan for turning an F-104 Starfighter into a supersonic helicopter. Proposed by Ryan Aeronautical engineer Peter Girard (who had flown the actual Ryan X-13 Vertijet), the plan called for replacing the Starfighter's stubby wings with a triangular dorsal-mounted airfoil. The airfoil was to spin like a helicopter blade, the tips of the triangle tilting to provide the necessary lift. Once the craft was airborne, the triangle would lock into a straight horizontal position and serve as a traditional "wing" for conventional flight.

Fortunately, the development of the vertical take-off Hawker Harrier later in the decade precluded this seemingly suicidal concept from actually being pursued.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : F-108 Rapier (1960)

F-108 Rapier (1960)

The F-108 "Rapier" was an actual plane being developed by the North American Aircraft Co. during the late 1950s. Designed to be a Mach 3 interceptor/escort for the XB-70 Valkyrie, the double-delta-winged "Rapier" made it to the mockup stage before the project was abruptly cancelled in 1959.

A year later, ITC released its own version of the F-108 -- one strikingly different from the actual plane. This "Rapier" launched like a rocket -- a concept intended to overcome the vulnerability of conventional airfields -- and was designed to carry atomic-tipped missiles that could be fired from up to 1,000 miles away from its target. Although it bore a superficial resemblance to the actual F-108, this design could never be confused with its real-world counterpart.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : XAB-1 Beta-1 Atomic-Powered Bomber (1959)

XAB-1 Beta-1 Atomic-Powered Bomber (1959)

In the 1950s, America's defense industry explored several radical ways to gain air superiority over the rival Soviet Union. Convair's XAB-1 concept bomber employed two notions that were particularly fashionable during this Cold War period. One was the idea of atomic engines, power plants that could keep a plane airborne virtually indefinitely. (Conventional jet engines were still required for take-offs and landings.) The other idea was that of parasite fighters, high-performance jets that were carried with the bomber and then released over enemy territory to provide airborne defense.

Ultimately, the idea of atomic engines was scrapped when the notion proved too unwieldy and dangerous, while the parasite fighter notion was rendered obsolete by the perfection of mid-air refueling technology.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : Russian Nuclear-Powered Bomber (1959)

Russian Nuclear-Powered Bomber (1959)

In the late 1950's, with the Soviets kicking America's proverbial ass in the Space Race, it was not hard to imagine that they'd soon achieve strategic air superiority as well. So when the aviation rumor mill began to buzz with stories about a new Russian long-range bomber powered by atomic engines, many people were inclined to believe the worst. (In fact, atomic engines were also being contemplated by American scientists at the time. )

Aviation Week published a four-page article on the "mystery" plane on December 1, 1958 -- an article that later turned out to be filled with Soviet mis- and dis-information. Yes, there was a new bomber in the works -- the "Bounder" -- and, much to everyone's disappointment -- and relief -- its engines were not only conventional, they weren't even very good. The plane never went into production.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : USAF 40-Foot Flying Disc (1958)

USAF 40-Foot Flying Disc (1958)

In 1967, former U.S. Navy aviator and aviation writer Jack D. Pickett and his business partner Harold Baker visited MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa Florida to gather information for an Air Force-sponsored article on historical experimental aircraft. At the edge of the base, they were shown four decommissioned X-planes -- all of them flying discs -- measuring 20, 40, 70 and 116 feet in diameter.

Through interviews with various base personnel, Pickett and Baker concluded that, during the 1950s, the USAF had developed several models of jet-powered flying discs for reconnaissance flights over the Soviet Union. The discs had supersonic capabilities and had, on occasion, reached heights that approached the edge of space (50 miles). Many disc flights -- particularly those of the highly successful 40-foot version -- were no doubt responsible for many "Flying Saucer" reports during the period. By the early 1960s, all had been retired in favor of more advanced aircraft.

The proposed article was ultimately cancelled, no doubt for reasons of national security. Years later, the amazing story was published by Michael Schratt.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : Mach 3 Jetliner (1958)

Mach 3 Jetliner (1958)

This was Paul Lindberg's speculative civilian version of the Air Force's XB-70 bomber, which was then still under development. Note that this airframe design had only one tail, whereas the actual XB-70 had two. From the instruction sheet: "By the early 1970's, supersonic jet airliners are expected to be used by nearly all of the major airline companies, and travel from New York to Paris will take approximately 3 to 4 hours." Ah, those were the days!

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : Northrop Nuclear-Powered Flying Wing (1956)

Northrop Nuclear-Powered Flying Wing (1956)

In the mid-1950s, the U.S. Air Force flirted seriously with the idea of producing long-range strategic bombers powered by atomic energy. The main advantage of such a weapon would be its ability to stay aloft for weeks at a time, thus serving as the aerial counterpart to the Navy's fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.

Jack Northrop, America's number-one proponent of "flying wing" aircraft, proposed several configurations for such an atomic-powered bomber. The most exotic of these was an asymmetrical design that positioned the cockpit at the end of the port wing. (German engineers had proved that asymmetrical designs were completely airworthy more than a decade before.) This configuration, while highly unconventional, had the advantage of putting the flight crew as far away from the nuclear reactor as possible while minimizing weight.

None of Northrop's concepts got farther than the concept stage.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : American Atomic-Powered Bomber (1955)

American Atomic-Powered Bomber (1955)

On Feb. 7, 1955, LIFE Magazine featured a multi-page spread about the U.S. Air Force's program to build a long-range nuclear bomber powered by atomic energy. The article featured illustrations of such an aircraft as conceived by a group of aeronautical specialists the magazine assembled just for this feature story. The designers' concept was of a large delta-winged plane with a compact, egg-shaped atomic reactor situated just forward of the tail section. To protect the two-man crew from radiation, the cockpit was located at the end of an over-long, wild goose-like fuselage, which contained extra shielding just aft of the crew compartment.

Servicing of the aircraft was to be done in a mountainside hangar, the cockpit and aft sections separated by a thick, shielded wall. All maintenance of the nuclear reactor would be done by remote-controlled robotic devices.

In the article, experts speculated that the first atomic-powered bomber would be flown by the year 1960.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : Lippisch Aerodyne (1955)

Lippisch Aerodyne (1955)

During the mid-1950s, German aeronautics genius Dr. Alexander Lippisch -- now working for the victorious Americans -- developed plans for a revolutionary propeller-powered VTOL aircraft. His "aerodyne" used two piston-mounted propellers to draw air into the massive cylindrical fuselage; vents on the rear ventral surface deflected the accelerated airflow downward to create vertical lift while smaller portions of compressed air were used to drive the vehicle horizontally.

Although the Aerodyne was never built, a pilotless jet-powered model was successfully flown by Germany's Dornier company in 1974, proving Lippisch's theories. Many of Lippisch's concepts were also integrated into the highly successful Hawker Harrier VTOL jet fighter.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : MIG-19 (1955)

MIG-19 (1955)

In the early 1950s, details of Soviet aircraft were hard to come by. But that didn't stop the then-nascent Aurora Models company from kitting a so-called Russian fighter "inspired" by Nazi Germany's experimental TA-183. First released as the YAK-25 in 1953, the simple model was retooled with missiles, landing gear and surface detail and re-released in metallic green plastic as the MIG-19 a year later. Although the TA-183 did lead to the development of an actual Soviet Fighter -- the MIG 15 -- this particular design was purely fanciful.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : Supermarine Type 553 (1953)

Supermarine Type 553 (1953)

In the mid-20th Century, Britain's Supermarine Aviation Works was one of the U.K.'s most successful aircraft manufacturers, having been the company behind one of WWII's most successful fighters, the legendary Supermarine Spitfire.. In the post-War years, Supermarine struggled to maintain its supremacy, with little success. Among its "paper" projects was a Mach 2 research jet, the Supermarine Type 553. The plane, with a cylindrical body and extended nose that called to mind the Douglas D-558-1 "Skystreak," never got beyond the proposal stage.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : Sikorsky XV-2 (XN-36) (1951)

Sikorsky XV-2 (XN-36) (1951)

WWII helped bring to fruition numerous aircraft technologies that had been nascent during the 1930s, including jet engines and helicopters. By 1951, Sikorsky, the world's leading helicopter manufacturer, had fashioned a creative way to fuse the two concepts, the result being jet-powered aircraft with a single-bladed helicopter rotor that could be used for VTOL-style take-offs and landings, then collapsed stowed when the aircraft commenced horizontal flight.

Dubbed the XH-36, the plan was given the green light by a joint U.S. Army/Air Force development team charged with building a VTOL aircraft that could be used for difficult rescue operations. Unfortunately, the outbreak of the Korean War turned Sikorsky's attention and resources to more practical matters, and the XH-36 -- now known as the XV-2 -- remained a study project only until the entire project was cancelled in 1960.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : Convair XB-53 Medium Bomber (1949)

Convair XB-53 Medium Bomber (1949)

Originally designated the Convair XA-44 ("A" for "Attack), this craft was intended to be a medium bomber capable of carrying 12,000 pounds of bombs as well as 40 high-velocity aerial rockets (HVARs). The plane's most unusual features were its 30-degree forward-swept wings, a concept based on recently captured German WWII-era research. It was believed this configuration would give the plane a greater climb-rate and maneuverability.

To be powered by three G.E. J35 turbojets, the XA-44 found itself in competition with Convair's own XB-46, and while the company would have preferred to manufacture both planes, it ultimately chose to divert funds from the XA-44 to the more conventional XB-46 project. Under-funded and all but ignored, the XA-44 was redubbed the XB-53 in 1948, only to have the project cancelled altogether in 1949. Although two prototypes had been ordered, none were ever built.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : Yurjev KIT-1 (1946)

Yurjev KIT-1 (1946)

Like the Germans before them (and the Americans soon thereafter), the post-War Soviets saw a need for a point-defense fighter that could operate without vulnerable airstrips. In 1946, leading Russian helicopter theoretician Professor B.N. Yurjev developed this design for a small delta-winged tail-sitter. Its single Kilmov VK-108 motor, situated aft of the cockpit, was to power both a small forward propeller (used for horizontal flight) and a larger aft propeller that would function during take-offs and landings, and then serve as a canard-like surface during in-flight operations.

The so-called "KIT-1" never got passed the design stage. However, Yurjev was obviously on the right track as his design bears numerous similarities to the U.S.'s XFY-1 "Pogo" and XFV-1 "Salmon" developed a decade later.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : Kugisho Ohka 43 "Otsu" (1945)

Kugisho Ohka 43 "Otsu" (1945)

During the waning months of WWII, Japanese designers contemplated producing a light interceptor version of their new jet-powered Ohka 33 kamikaze aircraft. Much like Nazi Germany's "Volksjagers," these cheap, expendable fighters could be launched en masse to battle American bombers -- in this case the launches being facilitated by rocket boosters and 97-meter-long catapults.

The Ohka 43 project only got as far as the mockup stage before the project was abandoned due to Japan's surrender in August 1945.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : Horten Rocket Wing (1945)

Horten Rocket Wing (1945)

Germany's Horten Brothers are credited with being some of aviation's earliest champions of the "flying wing" concept. In addition to designing both propeller- and jet-powered flying wings, the Brothers Horten developed plans for an advanced fighter powered by twin rocket motors. Discovered by the Allies in the waning days of WWII, these plans never got beyond the initial design stages, yet even in their crude, undeveloped state suggested a plane that -- if built -- would have been one of the most elegant and beautiful ever to take to the skies.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : Rheinmetal-Borsig VTOL (1945)

Rheinmetal-Borsig VTOL (1945)

During World War II, German aircraft designers developed numerous plans for vertically launched point-defense fighters that would not be encumbered by the need for large (and vulnerable) runways. However, while launching a fighter vertically seemed simple enough, landing one the same way posed a host of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

The Rheinmetal-Borsig jet-powered VTOL represented a creative solution to this dilemma. While launched vertically, the plane was designed to land like a conventional aircraft on bicycle landing gears.

The plane never developed beyond the "paper project" stage.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : Kyushu J7W2 Shindenkai (1945)

Kyushu J7W2 Shindenkai (1945)

Imperial Japan's Kyushu J7W1 Shinden, already on exhibit in our X-Plane & Prototypes/1940s section, was one of the few propeller-driven "pusher" fighter ever slated for mass production. But even as the Japanese were tooling up to get the Shinden into the skies, plans were underway to upgrade the aircraft with the new jet engines that were coming on line.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~

Concept Aircraft : Messerschmitt ME-262 Lorin (1945)

Messerschmitt ME-262 Lorin (1945)

The ME-262 was the world's first operational jet fighter. Because of its success, it was also the subject of numerous variations, some practical, others merely speculative. One of the most unusual "upgrades" proposed for the ME-262 was to equip it with two huge Lorin ramjets designed by Dr. Eugene Sänger.. These engines would have been gigantic -- around 1.13 m in diameter and 5.9 meters long. It was estimated that these "boosters" would allow the jet to reach a maximum of speed of 1,000 km/hr at sea level and reach an altitude of 10,000m in just six minutes. No prototype of this variation was ever actually built.

Concept Aircraft : He-162A Mistel 5 w/Arado E77A Flying Bomb (1945)

He-162A Mistel 5 w/Arado E77A Flying Bomb (1945)

During the closing months of WWII, numerous "Mistels" -- tandem-aircraft designs -- were proposed by German aircraft manufacturers. Among these designs was this dual-aircraft system consisting of a jet-powered Heinkel He162-A "Salamander" and an E337 gliding bomb. Because the He162's powerplant could never lift both craft on its own, the winged bomb was to to be given its own set of jet engines. Upon separation, the Salamander pilot was to guide the bomb toward its target -- either a large ship or building -- via wire. Or the bomb could simply be allowed to glide freely.

Conceived late in the War, this weapons system was never actually built.

Concept Aircraft : Blohm & Voss P212.03 (1945)

Blohm & Voss P212.03 (1945)

This unusual tailless jet fighter was designed to operate at high altitudes using Germany's new He S 001 jet engine. The last of three similar designs submitted to the Luftwaffe's Emergency Fighter Competition by B&V, the plane began wind tunnel tests in May 1945 -- just days before Germany's surrender.

Concept Aircraft : Horten Ho-229 V.7 (1945)

Horten Ho-229 V.7 (1945)

Even as the Horten Brothers were starting construction on their Ho-229A-1 flying wing, plans were underway for more advanced -- and lethal -- variations on their tailless aircraft. One of these was the V-7, which incorporated the advanced radar systems that were only then being installed on Luftwaffe fighters. No V-7's ever made it to the production line.

Concept Aircraft : Messerschmitt Me-262 HG III (1944)

Messerschmitt Me-262 HG III (1944)

With its Me-262 jet fighter being a proven success, Messerschmitt subsequently proposed numerous variations on its battle-tested airframe. One of these was a three-man high-speed interceptor with in-wing engines: the HG III. Ultimately, this was little more than a "paper project," as no HG IIIs were ever produced.

Concept Aircraft : Heinkel He-P.1079A (1944)

Heinkel He-P.1079A (1944)

During WWII, Germany's Heinkel aircraft company developed five fighter planes under the P.1079 designation. The only thing these designs had in common was that they incorporated twin jet engines. The first in the 1079 series was this design, the P.1079A, which featured its power plants on either side of the fuselage, plus a V-shaped tail.

No He-P.1079As were ever produced.

Concept Aircraft : Heinkel He-P.1078B (1944)

Heinkel He-P.1078B (1944)

One of many late-War "paper projects," Heinkel's He-P.1078B was a single-seat, tailless fighter with 40-degree swept-back wings and a single HeS 011 turbojet engine. The plane's most distinguishing feature was its duo-gondola design. The pilot sat in the port-side pod; in the other was a radar system and two MK 108 30mm cannon.

No P.1078B's were ever actually produced.

Concept Aircraft : Blohm & Voss BPV.192.01 (1944)

Blohm & Voss BPV.192.01 (1944)

In the midst of WWII, the innovative engineers at Germany's Blohm & Voss company responded to Berlin's request for a single-engine ground-attack bomber with this bizarre mid-engine design. To improve visibility, the cockpit was situated in front of the propeller and held in place by two side-mounted canard-like supports. Armaments were to consist of four fixed-forward machine guns and a single 500-pound bomb. The design never made it past the design stage.

Concept Aircraft : Daimler-Benz Project "B" (1944/45)

Daimler-Benz Project "B" (1944/45)

Nazi Germany's early focus on short-range tactical bombers left the country with a dearth of strategic aircraft capable of hitting distant targets. To fill this void, numerous projects were proposed -- including a few that were, well, exotic. The German automaker Daimler Benz's proposal was to build a giant prop-powered "bomber carrier" that could carry a "parasite" bomber halfway or more to its target, then release the jet-powered aircraft to complete the remainder of its mission.

The Project "B" design was the second of what would be three "carrier" proposals Daimler Benz developed. The design, while decidedly exotic, never got off the drawing board.

Note: This design isn't quite as "whacked" as one might think. The cracked-wing "carrier" and underbelly "parasite" layout is near identical that found on Burt Rutan's White Knight/Space Ship One private spacecraft now in competition for the $10 million X-Prize!

Concept Aircraft : Lippisch Li.P-13B (1944)

Lippisch Li.P-13B (1944)

The follow-up to the Li.P-13A fighter, the Li.P-15B was Alexander Lippisch's twin-intake version of a coal-powered ramjet interceptor. Designed in December 1944, the plane featured a retractable skid in place of conventional landing gear. When parked, the plane was to sit on the edges of its down-turned wingtips.

Concept Aircraft : Lippisch Li.P.13A (1944)

Lippisch Li.P.13A (1944)

Designed in 1944 by delta-wing maven Dr. Alexander Lippisch, the P-13A was intended to be a high-performance ramjet-powered interceptor. The craft would have been launched with the help of a liquid fuel rocket motor, then once sufficient speed was achieved, switch to its coal- ...yes, coal... powered ramjet. Early wind-tunnel tests indicated that, should the craft ever be built, it could comfortably handle at speeds upwards of Mach 2.5!

Concept Aircraft : Focke-Wulf Triebflugel (1944)

Focke-Wulf Triebflugel (1944)

The Triebflugel was Focke-Wulf's entry in Germany's race to build a viable Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) fighter, a plane not dependent on conventional -- and vulnerable -- airfields. Designed in 1944, the plane sported three rotating wings intended to function like helicopter blades. Once in motion, the blades would provide enough thrust to operate the Pabst ramjets located on the wingtips. Unique among all 20th Century VTOL concepts, the Triebflugel only got as far as wind-tunnel models.

Concept Aircraft : BMW "Flugelrad" V.2 (1944)

BMW "Flugelrad" V.2 (1944)

In the years following the Allies' victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, reports began to surface of numerous top-secret aircraft experiments having been conducted by the Germans in the closing years of the conflict. Some of these reports focused on the development of disc-shaped fighters, in effect compact autogyros with flat, fan-like blades spun by the exhaust of jet engines. Purportedly three flying disc prototypes were developed and tested by BMW at the Prag-Kbley aerodrome in occupied Czechoslovakia in experiments conducted between 1943 and 1945..

The second of these so-called "Flugelrads," the V-2, improved upon the crude, one-man V-1 by increasing its size to accommodate a second pilot, adding semi-retractable landing gear (The first version had fixed gear), and adding a tail rudder for stability. Reportedly flown briefly in the early autumn of 1944, the craft could only "hop" for a few yards at a time, and the tail proved functionally useless.

Development of the Flugelrads halted in 1945 as the Russian Army advanced on Czechoslovakia, and most of the documents pertaining to the project were destroyed. Whether those records that have surfaced since are authentic remains the subject of considerable controversy.

Concept Aircraft : Lockheed L-133 (1942)

Lockheed L-133 (1942)

As early at the late 1930s, engineers at Lockheed Aircraft saw the potential of jet propulsion and began preliminary work on designs for a jet-powered combat aircraft. By 1942, they had laid the groundwork for the L-133, a single-seat canard-style fighter to be powered by two L-1000 axial-flow jet engines -- also of Lockheed design. However, the Army Air Corps saw little potential for jet propulsion and, without U.S. Government funding, the project collapsed. It wasn't until several years later, when word of Germany's success on jet propulsion began to make its way to the Allies, that Lockheed had enough funding to get back into the jet-fighter business.

Concept Aircraft : Henschel HS-P75 (1941/42)

Henschel HS-P75 (1941/42)

This conceptual high-speed fighter featured a canard/rear-wing configuration designed to accommodate an exceptionally large Daimler Benz 610 power plant. Incorporating counter-rotating rear-mounted propellers and a tail on its underside, the HS-P75 would have presented a unique profile had it been chosen for production.

Concept Aircraft : Hutter Hu-136 "Stubo II" Ground Attack Fighter (1938)

Hutter Hu-136 "Stubo II" Ground Attack Fighter (1938)

As the storm clouds of WWII gathered on the horizon, Nazi Germany's Reich Air Ministry let it be known they were in the market for a high-performance heavy-duty dive bomber/ground attack fighter. Two German glider designers, Wolfgang and Ulrich Hütter, responded with two designs for a radical single-seat aircraft. The first, the Stubo 1, would be capable of carrying two 250 kg bombs beneath its elongated fuselage. The larger Stubo 2 was even longer and was equipped with an internal bomb bay capable of carrying a 1,000 kg ordinance load.

Both planes were designed to be launched by a detachable trolley to keep their overall weight down, landing to be accomplished via a retractable skid. The pilot would sit at the rear of the aircraft, the cockpit canopy also serving as the plane's rudder.

Ultimately, the Air Ministry passed on the unusual proposal, choosing instead to manufacturer the far more conventional Henschel HS 129.

Concept Aircraft : Airspeed AS.31 (1935)

Airspeed AS.31 (1935)

The Germans weren't the only ones experimenting with radical aircraft designs in the years prior to WWII. In England, the Airspeed company came up with this unique single-engine fighter; its pilot was to be housed in an egg-shaped cockpit situated far behind the wing to enhance visibility during take-offs and landings. However, wind tunnel tests revealed that this odd arrangement would produce intolerable G-forces during high-speed turns, and the project was abandoned.

Concept Aircraft : Aurora Hypersonic Spy Plane (1986)

Aurora Hypersonic Spy Plane (1986)

Since the mid-1980s, there has been much speculation about the development of a super-secret scramjet-powered spy plane powerful enough to reach speeds of Mach 6. Over the years, information about this project, dubbed "Aurora," continued to leak into the general press. That the SR-71 Mach 3 reconnaissance aircraft was retired in 1990 with little or no resistance from the Air Force only added further credibility to the belief that something much faster than the fabled "Blackbird" was already in operation.

Although no official pictures of the "Aurora" have yet to surface, enough bits and pieces about the technical requirements of hypersonic aircraft have made it into circulation for experts to develop a reasonable guess as to what this plane might look like. The triangular, "all fuselage" design of this concept would be perfect for high-altitude, high-speed flight, naturally compressing air into the scramjet intakes while providing excellent lift and stealth capabilities.

Colourful Plane