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Douglas F4D Skyray
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Douglas F4D Skyray
The Douglas F4D Skyray (later redesignated F-6 Skyray) is an American carrier-based supersonic fighter/interceptor designed and produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was the last fighter produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company prior to its merger with McDonnell Aircraft to become McDonnell Douglas.
Development of the Skyray was started by Douglas during the late 1940s as the D-571-1 design study. It was a delta wing interceptor capable of a high rate of climb as to permit the rapid interception of approaching hostile bombers. Douglas' proposal was selected by Navy officials to fulfill a formal requirement issued in 1948. The decision to adopt the Westinghouse J40 turbojet engine led to considerable difficulties, as this engine would be cancelled prior to entering production, and the aircraft was redesigned to accept the Pratt & Whitney J57 instead. Aerodynamic issues led to a protracted development cycle; considerable design changes were made after the maiden flight of the first production standard Skyray in June 1954. The Skyray was declared ready for fleet introduction in April 1956 and entered service with both the United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) shortly thereafter.
The Skyray had a relatively brief service life and never saw combat. Despite this, it was the first carrier-launched aircraft to hold the world's absolute speed record, having attained a top speed of 752.943 mph, (1,211.487 km/h). It is widely reported as the first naval fighter to break the speed of sound in level flight rather than in a dive. The Skyray also set a new time-to-altitude record, flying from a standing start to 49,221 feet (15,003 m) in two minutes and 36 seconds, all while flying at a 70° pitch angle. The last Skyrays were withdrawn from service in February 1964, although a handful continued to be flown for experimental purposes by National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) up to the end of the decade. The F5D Skylancer was an advanced development of the F4D Skyray that ultimately did not enter service.
The Skyray originated within a design study, the D-571-1, performed by Douglas and funded by the United States Navy (USN). It was a fast-climbing pure interceptor aircraft with a delta wing, powered by a pair of Westinghouse J34 turbojet engines, which were equipped with afterburners for bursts of additional acceleration. The D-571-1 had a relatively thick wing with no conventional fuselage save for a pod-like cockpit in a forward position. A total of four 20mm cannons extended forward of the leading edge of the wing; alternative armaments consisted of spin-stabilized rockets. The design study had harnessed the designs and research of the German aerodynamicist Alexander Lippisch, who moved to the United States following the end of World War II, and whose work had been examined by several of Douglas's design team. In June 1947, the Navy issued a contract to Douglas to proceed with preliminary investigation and engineering works on the concept up to the mockup stage.
As the design was refined, the wing's thickness was substantially reduced to increase its high speed capabilities. The twin J34 engine arrangement was also swapped out for a single Westinghouse J40 engine. Only a single hydraulic system was incorporated and measures to permit manual reversion in the event of hydraulic failure were included. Rockets would be the primary armament, housed in pylon-mounted pods underneath the wing. A formal operational requirement was issued by the Navy in 1948; however, according to aviation author Tommy H. Thomason, it was a foregone conclusion from the outset that Douglas would win the contract. Specifics of this requirement included the ability to intercept and destroy an enemy aircraft at an altitude of 50,000 ft (15,240 m) within five minutes of the alarm being sounded. At the time, Navy planners were particularly concerned by the threat posed to its carrier battle groups by high altitude Soviet bomber aircraft; as early jet aircraft were fuel-hungry and had limited endurance, it was necessary for an interceptor to climb very quickly to its operational altitude to attain the time on station the Navy desired.
On account of the numerous design changes, the mockup review was delayed by almost one year, taking place in March 1949. One criticism produced at this stage was that the nose-up attitude was greater than had been anticipated, necessitating changes to the aircraft's nose and radome to improve the pilot's external visibility. A more pressing issue would be the J40 engine. Douglas' design team made accommodations for other engines as a contingency measure; this approach proved to be quite fortunate as the J40 had a particularly troubled development and was eventually cancelled with no production units delivered. As a temporary measure, the prototype had to be outfitted with an Allison J35 engine instead.
The long-term replacement for the J40 on production aircraft was the Pratt & Whitney J57, a more powerful but considerably larger engine. The ensuing delays to the program led to several other aircraft, such as the North American F-100 Super Sabre and the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19, beating it into operational service.
On 5 June 1954, during its maiden flight, the first production F4D-1, bureau number (BuNo) 130740, reportedly became the first naval fighter to exceed the speed of sound in level flight. According to Flight, this was achieved during the aircraft's acceptance flight between the Douglas plant in El Segundo, California, and Edwards Air Force Base, flown by test pilot Bob Rahn. An intense period of flight testing and remedial design work followed, as there had been inadequate time to evaluate the J57 during the prototype stage. To address an engine stalling problem at near-supersonic speeds above 40,000 ft (12,000 m) of altitude, the air intake geometry had to be changed, and an airflow baffle plate added in front of each intake. The aft section of the fuselage was reprofiled to eliminate undesirable buffeting and reduce drag. In September 1955, initial carrier suitability trials were performed onboard USS Ticonderoga. No production aircraft were delivered until early 1956 when the F4D was declared ready for fleet introduction in April. A total of 419 F4D-1 (later designated F-6 under the unified designation system) aircraft would be produced prior to the end of production in 1958.
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Douglas F4D Skyray
The Douglas F4D Skyray (later redesignated F-6 Skyray) is an American carrier-based supersonic fighter/interceptor designed and produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was the last fighter produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company prior to its merger with McDonnell Aircraft to become McDonnell Douglas.
Development of the Skyray was started by Douglas during the late 1940s as the D-571-1 design study. It was a delta wing interceptor capable of a high rate of climb as to permit the rapid interception of approaching hostile bombers. Douglas' proposal was selected by Navy officials to fulfill a formal requirement issued in 1948. The decision to adopt the Westinghouse J40 turbojet engine led to considerable difficulties, as this engine would be cancelled prior to entering production, and the aircraft was redesigned to accept the Pratt & Whitney J57 instead. Aerodynamic issues led to a protracted development cycle; considerable design changes were made after the maiden flight of the first production standard Skyray in June 1954. The Skyray was declared ready for fleet introduction in April 1956 and entered service with both the United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) shortly thereafter.
The Skyray had a relatively brief service life and never saw combat. Despite this, it was the first carrier-launched aircraft to hold the world's absolute speed record, having attained a top speed of 752.943 mph, (1,211.487 km/h). It is widely reported as the first naval fighter to break the speed of sound in level flight rather than in a dive. The Skyray also set a new time-to-altitude record, flying from a standing start to 49,221 feet (15,003 m) in two minutes and 36 seconds, all while flying at a 70° pitch angle. The last Skyrays were withdrawn from service in February 1964, although a handful continued to be flown for experimental purposes by National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) up to the end of the decade. The F5D Skylancer was an advanced development of the F4D Skyray that ultimately did not enter service.
The Skyray originated within a design study, the D-571-1, performed by Douglas and funded by the United States Navy (USN). It was a fast-climbing pure interceptor aircraft with a delta wing, powered by a pair of Westinghouse J34 turbojet engines, which were equipped with afterburners for bursts of additional acceleration. The D-571-1 had a relatively thick wing with no conventional fuselage save for a pod-like cockpit in a forward position. A total of four 20mm cannons extended forward of the leading edge of the wing; alternative armaments consisted of spin-stabilized rockets. The design study had harnessed the designs and research of the German aerodynamicist Alexander Lippisch, who moved to the United States following the end of World War II, and whose work had been examined by several of Douglas's design team. In June 1947, the Navy issued a contract to Douglas to proceed with preliminary investigation and engineering works on the concept up to the mockup stage.
As the design was refined, the wing's thickness was substantially reduced to increase its high speed capabilities. The twin J34 engine arrangement was also swapped out for a single Westinghouse J40 engine. Only a single hydraulic system was incorporated and measures to permit manual reversion in the event of hydraulic failure were included. Rockets would be the primary armament, housed in pylon-mounted pods underneath the wing. A formal operational requirement was issued by the Navy in 1948; however, according to aviation author Tommy H. Thomason, it was a foregone conclusion from the outset that Douglas would win the contract. Specifics of this requirement included the ability to intercept and destroy an enemy aircraft at an altitude of 50,000 ft (15,240 m) within five minutes of the alarm being sounded. At the time, Navy planners were particularly concerned by the threat posed to its carrier battle groups by high altitude Soviet bomber aircraft; as early jet aircraft were fuel-hungry and had limited endurance, it was necessary for an interceptor to climb very quickly to its operational altitude to attain the time on station the Navy desired.
On account of the numerous design changes, the mockup review was delayed by almost one year, taking place in March 1949. One criticism produced at this stage was that the nose-up attitude was greater than had been anticipated, necessitating changes to the aircraft's nose and radome to improve the pilot's external visibility. A more pressing issue would be the J40 engine. Douglas' design team made accommodations for other engines as a contingency measure; this approach proved to be quite fortunate as the J40 had a particularly troubled development and was eventually cancelled with no production units delivered. As a temporary measure, the prototype had to be outfitted with an Allison J35 engine instead.
The long-term replacement for the J40 on production aircraft was the Pratt & Whitney J57, a more powerful but considerably larger engine. The ensuing delays to the program led to several other aircraft, such as the North American F-100 Super Sabre and the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19, beating it into operational service.
On 5 June 1954, during its maiden flight, the first production F4D-1, bureau number (BuNo) 130740, reportedly became the first naval fighter to exceed the speed of sound in level flight. According to Flight, this was achieved during the aircraft's acceptance flight between the Douglas plant in El Segundo, California, and Edwards Air Force Base, flown by test pilot Bob Rahn. An intense period of flight testing and remedial design work followed, as there had been inadequate time to evaluate the J57 during the prototype stage. To address an engine stalling problem at near-supersonic speeds above 40,000 ft (12,000 m) of altitude, the air intake geometry had to be changed, and an airflow baffle plate added in front of each intake. The aft section of the fuselage was reprofiled to eliminate undesirable buffeting and reduce drag. In September 1955, initial carrier suitability trials were performed onboard USS Ticonderoga. No production aircraft were delivered until early 1956 when the F4D was declared ready for fleet introduction in April. A total of 419 F4D-1 (later designated F-6 under the unified designation system) aircraft would be produced prior to the end of production in 1958.
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