Joint U.S.-Canadian Aviation Projects and UFO Sighting Reports, 1954-1955

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hovering; for level flight the intake is changed to a normal frontal inlet by a set of slides and doors. In later versions the radial engine has been replaced by radially disposed axial flow turbojets of conventional type. This modification was originally considered as an intermediate version which might simplify the development procedures, but as the radial engine has been more realistically appraised, it is now looked upon as an alternative form of equal promise.

It is evident that the invention involves a whole array of formidable problems of research and development. Even in the smallest versions the outer diameter of the radial flow turbine is about twenty feet. The entire rotor must be supported on air bearings in the radial as well as the axial direction, and it is evident that the accompanying problems of mechanical design are very difficult. The design requires that very large air flow (a minimum of about 800 lb/s) be regulated by a complicated system of mechanical shutters on the inlet as well as on the outlet side. The problems of stability in hovering, in forward flight, and in the transition between the two modes naturally demand considerable attention. The many structural problems of an unconventional nature likewise require much study. It is evident, even with only a casual study, that the process of development would be lengthy and costly in the extreme, even by present standards in military aircraft. The justification for entering into

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NW 91198 DOD 1-34745775

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