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Lockheed L-133 Starjet


Single-Seat, Jet-Powered Fighter Proposal


United States | 1942



"The Lockheed L-133 Starjet was submitted for USAF consideration as a single-seat, jet-powered fighter - it was not furthered."

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Lockheed L-133 Starjet Single-Seat, Jet-Powered Fighter Proposal.
2 x Lockheed L-1000 turbojet engines developing 5,100 lb of thrust each.
Propulsion
612 mph
985 kph | 532 kts
Max Speed
44,619 ft
13,600 m | 8 miles
Service Ceiling
746 miles
1,200 km | 648 nm
Operational Range
4,600 ft/min
1,402 m/min
Rate-of-Climb
Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Lockheed L-133 Starjet Single-Seat, Jet-Powered Fighter Proposal.
1
(MANNED)
Crew
48.4 ft
14.75 m
O/A Length
46.8 ft
(14.25 m)
O/A Width
11.2 ft
(3.40 m)
O/A Height
10,174 lb
(4,615 kg)
Empty Weight
18,001 lb
(8,165 kg)
MTOW
Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Lockheed L-133 Starjet Single-Seat, Jet-Powered Fighter Proposal .
PROPOSED:
4 x 20mm cannons in the nose
Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Lockheed L-133 Starjet family line.
L-133 "Starjet" - Base Series Designation
L-133-02-01 - Official Company Model Designation
Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 09/13/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Jet-powered flight was a concept already taking hold even before the events of World War 2 1939-1945) ushered it along. However, the global conflict helped to push it along at a rather brisk pace, forcing the evolution of many components forward. European engineers led the way in the field and were ultimately joined in their participation by the Americans before the end. The United States eventually poured much financing, manpower, and materials into producing a serviceable operational-level fighter and this became the late-war Lockheed P-80 "Shooting Star".

American work in the field was underway in 1940 as jet engine research progressed at a modest pace. That same year, Lockheed engineers invested in a new in-house turbojet engine design known as the "L-1000" - promising a thrust output of 5,000 pounds. On March 30th, 1942, with America fully involved in World War 2, the company submitted a single-seat fighter design proposal to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) for which to match their new engine to. The L-133 "Starjet" would feature two of these engines in a side-by-side arrangement to help maximize thrust output, overall reliability, and straight line performance. Control surfaces would be hydraulically-assisted due to the forces at play. Among the names attached the L-133 project were Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, Willis Hawkins, and Hall Hibbard.

Based on their research, Lockheed engineers accordingly held optimistic estimated performance specifications for their new fighter - maximum speed could reach in the neighborhood of 612 miles per hour (625 mph published in other sources). Construction would incorporate a fair amount of steel and the undercarriage would be a rather modern, fully-retractable wheeled tricycle system. A "blended wing-body" configuration was selected which featured the wing mainplanes well-aft while canard foreplanes added stabilization/controlling at front. A nose-mounted intake would serve the twin turbojet configuration internally. As it stood, the L-133 was a very futuristic fighter design submission for its time - on par with even the far-reaching designs the Germans were putting forth.

The tail of the aircraft was also unique in that it lacked any horizontal planes - just a single vertical fin being fitted. The cockpit was to feature a simple two-piece canopy which presented strong forward and side views for the pilot. The raised dorsal spine, however, obstructed some of the rearward vision. The use of a long nose section could also prove challenging to the pilot during ground running. Dimensions included a length of 48.3 feet and a wingspan of 46.7 feet.

The L-1000 engines to be featured in the L-133 were of the multi-stage, axial-flow design. Originally these were to showcase integrated intercoolers, devices specifically committed to the engine's cooling, but were not fitted in the finalized form. The engines would be fed by way of long sections of duct work emanating from the single nose-mounted intake, running along the sides of the fuselage (straddling the cockpit), before meeting the twin turbojet layout located in the rear section. The Army funded development of this powerplant during 1943 when it was known as the "XJ37-1".

Proposed armament for the fighter was a hard-hitting battery of 4 x 20mm cannon, these guns fitted to the nose section and seated around the upper regions of the intake opening.

Despite the impressive proposal that the L-133 was, it was simply too far-reaching a project for the comfort level of the USAAF which was committed on many other fronts of the war by this time. As such, the aircraft was not developed further and ultimately abandoned though it served Lockheed engineers well on delivering a high-level, jet-powered fighter to the USAAF eventually - this becoming the classic P-80 Shooting Star.

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Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Lockheed L-133 Starjet. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 0 Units

Contractor(s): Lockheed - USA
National flag of the United States

[ United States (not adopted) ]
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Image of the Lockheed L-133 Starjet
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Image of the Lockheed L-133 Starjet
Official Lockheed L-133 concept art; Public Domain.

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The Lockheed L-133 Starjet Single-Seat, Jet-Powered Fighter Proposal appears in the following collections:
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