×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Small Arms Warships & Submarines Military Ranks Military Pay Scale (2024) Special Forces

Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor


High-Altitude Interceptor Prototype


United States | 1949



"The Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor mated rocket-propelled take-offs with turbojet-controlled landings."

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor High-Altitude Interceptor Prototype.
4 x Reaction Motors XLR11-RM-9 rocket motors developing 1,500 lb of thrust each; 1 x General Electric J47-GE-7/-17 turbojet engine developing 6,900 lb of thrust with afterburner.
Propulsion
984 mph
1,584 kph | 855 kts
Max Speed
54,134 ft
16,500 m | 10 miles
Service Ceiling
1,168 miles
1,880 km | 1,015 nm
Operational Range
47,500 ft/min
14,478 m/min
Rate-of-Climb
Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor High-Altitude Interceptor Prototype.
1
(MANNED)
Crew
31.2 ft
9.52 m
O/A Length
43.2 ft
(13.18 m)
O/A Width
18.1 ft
(5.51 m)
O/A Height
14,132 lb
(6,410 kg)
Empty Weight
28,307 lb
(12,840 kg)
MTOW
Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor High-Altitude Interceptor Prototype .
PROPOSED:
4 x 20mm cannons
Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor family line.
XF-91 - Base Model Designation; 2 examples completed as s/n 46-0680 and 46-0681, the second destroyed during tests in 1951.
Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 12/28/2016 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

After World War 2 and during the early Cold War years, the American government now faced the Soviet Union and threat of nuclear-armed, high-altitude bombers attacking the United States. In response, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) commissioned for an interceptor design in August of 1945 with supersonic speeds at high-altitude and an impressive rate-of-climb to meet the incoming hordes of bombers with 4 x 0.50 caliber heavy machine guns. As turbojets were still in their infancy, rocket propulsion was the call of the day. No fewer than six competing concerns entered their designs into the fray including Bell Aircraft, Consolidated Vultee, Douglas, North American, Northrop, and Republic. In the end, none were chosen with Republic's venture - the XF-91 "Thunderceptor" - slipping into the pages of military aviation history among the others.

The Republic Aviation concern was well recognized for their P-47 Thunderbolt fighter effort of World War 2 and came to develop the capable F-84 Thunderjet of the early jet age. It was the F-84 that served as the basis for the Thunderceptor though modified so heavily that the two shared little in the way of interchangeable components - the XF-91 becoming its own, all-new fighter design. Design work on the aircraft was headed by Alexander Kartveli who also lent his talents to the design of the famous P-47.

In its early form, a swept-wing mockup was presented with a Vee-style tail unit though this was not utilized in the full-scale flyable prototype seen later. A Curtiss-Wright XLR27 series rocket motor was selected to power the airframe and work began shortly after the USAAF requirement was put forth. The flyable prototype, seen with a conventional tail unit, achieved first flight on May 9th, 1949 from Edwards Air Force Base. By this time, however, Reaction Motors rockets had replaced the intended Curtiss-Wright propulsion system. The original 4 x machine gun armament requirement was also changed to a 4 x 20mm cannon fitting. A second prototype joined the first and this one differed in that it utilized the original Vee-tail unit.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.


The XF-91 proved something of an interesting take on the interceptor requirement for it coupled 4 x Reaction Motors XLR-11-RM-9 rocket motors to 1 x General Electric J47-GE-3 series turbojet. Both were installed at the tail section. In this arrangement, the aircraft was initially powered by the four rocket motors from take-off to reaching the intended interception altitude. After meeting its targets and completing its mission, the aircraft then landed under the power of its turbojet engine for the rockets used up their fuel in short order, leaving the aircraft essentially unpowered with its turbojet installation on hand. With the reserve propulsion system, the pilot could then guide his aircraft back down with the thrust and control necessary. Another interesting design quality was use of a variable-incidence, inverse tapered-wing design which pivoted from +6 to -2 degrees during flight as required.

Despite the promising nature of the Republic offering, the USAAF decided early on not to pursue the XF-91 as a production interceptor. Instead, it was allowed to live under the guise of research plane thanks in large part to its other engineering initiatives. The two prototypes, therefore, served as flight research testbeds furthering other Air Force programs and some future designs. The first prototype went on to achieve supersonic flight in December of 1952 and proved several facets of its overall arrangement quite sound and was eventually used to test radar under the designation of XF-91A, its nose now covered in a radome fitting (the air intake fitted further under and aft of the nosecone). The second continued tests with its Vee-tail unit in place until both prototypes were given up for good. The first prototype (s/n 46-0680) ended as a museum showpiece at the National Museum of the United States Air Force (Dayton, Ohio) while the second prototype (s/n 46-0681) was lost during testing in 1951 at Edwards AFB.

As completed, the prototypes allowed for a maximum speed reaching ,126 miles per hour with a service ceiling in the 50,000 feet range. Seating was for one under a largely unobstructed canopy and set well-ahead of midships. The turbojet engine was aspirated by a small nose intake with the rocket motors buried within the tail section itself. The main wing assemblies were mid-mounted at the fuselage sides and featured 35-degree sweepback as well as tapering from wingtip-to-wingroot as opposed to wingroot-to-wingtip. This gave the aircraft a unique planform when viewed from the top-down profile. The tail unit showcased a single vertical tail-fin with mid-mounted horizontal planes. In all, the XF-91 was a very clean design of the period. The tricycle undercarriage was expectedly retractable - though its main landing gear legs sported a pair of inline wheels as opposed to a more traditional side-by-side pairing.

Armament was to be 4 x 20mm cannons - mostly likely fitted in the nose section.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 2 Units

Contractor(s): Republic Aviation Corporation - USA
National flag of the United States

[ United States (cancelled) ]
1 / 4
Image of the Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor
Image courtesy of the United States Air Force; No endorsement implied.
2 / 4
Image of the Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor
Image courtesy of the United States Air Force; No endorsement implied.
3 / 4
Image of the Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor
Image courtesy of the United States Air Force; No endorsement implied.
4 / 4
Image of the Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor
Image courtesy of the United States Air Force; No endorsement implied.

Going Further...
The Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor High-Altitude Interceptor Prototype appears in the following collections:
HOME
AVIATION INDEX
AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY
AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE AIRCRAFT
AIRCRAFT BY CONFLICT
AIRCRAFT BY TYPE
AIRCRAFT BY DECADE
COLD WAR AIRCRAFT
X-PLANE AIRCRAFT
Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Scale Military Ranks of the World U.S. Department of Defense Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols Breakdown U.S. 5-Star Generals List WWII Weapons by Country World War Next

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.


©2024 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2024 (21yrs)