Saunders-Roe P.148

Single-Engine Naval Jet Fighter Proposal

United Kingdom | 1951

"The Saunders-Roe P.148 was being proposed as a jet-powered type of the early 1950s, seating two and incorporating its jet over the fuselage."

Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Saunders-Roe P.148 Single-Engine Naval Jet Fighter Proposal.

1 x Rolls-Royce Avon RA.10 (later RA.12) afterburning turbojet engine developing 9,150lb of thrust dry and 11,380lb of thrust with reheat.
Propulsion

690 mph
1,110 kph | 599 kts
Max Speed

46,998 ft
14,325 m | 9 miles
Service Ceiling

9,750 ft/min
2,972 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Saunders-Roe P.148 Single-Engine Naval Jet Fighter Proposal.

2
(MANNED)
Crew

50.0 ft
15.25 m
O/A Length

38.5 ft
(11.75 m)
O/A Width

27,999 lb
(12,700 kg)
MTOW

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Saunders-Roe P.148 Single-Engine Naval Jet Fighter Proposal .

PROPOSED (STANDARD, FIXED):
4 x 30mm ADEN autocannons under the nose in fixed, forward-firing mountings.

PROPOSED (OPTIONAL):
2 x 18 (36 total) air-to-air rockets in ventral section.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Saunders-Roe P.148 family line.

P.148 - Base Project Designation; only design brochure completed.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 03/04/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

After the close of World War 2 (1939-1945), the British led the Allies in turbojet technology and were able to launch the first combat-capable, fighter-oriented types into the sky. The first notable offering became the Gloster "Meteor" which recorded its first flight in March of 1943 and entered service in July of 1944 (though it was used primarily to counter the V-1 rocket threat over the British mainland). Nearly 4,000 of the type (detailed elsewhere on this site) would be completed and the design also sold off to British allies across the globe. Powering this classic airplane were 2 x Rolls-Royce Derwent 8 series turbojet engines offering 3,600lb of thrust each.

It was this foundation that helped to keep the British at the forefront of post-war jet-powered fighters for years to come and technology allowed for a myriad of aerodynamic designs to be considered - with British engineers not in short supply of them.

Along the road to establishing one of the world's preeminent jet-powered air services, the British considered an ocean of proposals from the usual industry players of the period - Gloster, Fairey, Saunders-Roe (SARO), and Westland being just some of the names throwing their hats into the ring. For Saunders-Roe, primarily known for its oversized flying boat designs used throughout World War 2, there emerged one of many unique offerings proposed to officials in the form of the navy-minded "P.148".

The P.148 was a project aircraft drawn up by company engineers to satisfy a new Royal Navy specification (N.114T) of January 1951 covering a 14-ton, twin-seat, radar-equipped day/night fighter platform. Authorities sought a jet-powered type capable of reaching beyond 620 miles-per-hour flying to an altitude of at least 40,000 feet and having a climb rate equal-or-greater-to 10,000 feet-per-minute. Proposed armament was strictly air-to-air in nature: 4 x 30mm ADEN autocannons as fixed, forward-firing weapons and (rather optionally) support for 4 x Air-to-Air Missiles (AAMs).

SARO's entry into the crowded field incorporated a conventional, slender fuselage containing the cockpit, avionics, fuel stores (these also carried in the wings), and the usual support systems. Of note was the two-seat, side-by-side placement which only had the pilot under the bubble-style canopy with the secondary crewman seated lower in the arrangement (as in the eventual de Havilland "Sea Vixen" carrier-based fighter still to come - and detailed elsewhere on this site). The pilot's canopy was offset to portside as a result and the entire cockpit sat aft of a rounded nosecone assembly which was intended to house an "Airborne Interception" (AI) radar fit. The twin-spar wing mainplanes (offering notable sweepback) would be shoulder-mounted along the fuselage sides and set just ahead of midships. The fuselage was to then tapered elegantly aftwards until terminated by a small rounded cap. Over the tail section was a single, rather squat vertical tailfin topped by swept-back horizontal planes (eventually arranged in the typical "T-style" or "Multhopp Tail"). For ground-running, a conventional, retractable (all legs retracting into the fuselage) tricycle configuration would be used - though the legs were relatively short giving the vehicle a squat appearance when on the ground.

Dimensions included an overall length of 50 feet and a wingspan of 38.6 feet.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Beyond the cockpit's appearance and interesting crew placement, one of the other unique physical aspects of this machine was its proposed turbojet placement: over the aft dorsal section of the fuselage spine, in essence also forming the base of the single vertical tail fin. The single engine installation was to be aspirated by an intake found over midships and exhausted through a circular port under the rudder fin with a relatively uncomplicated duct system in-between to ease construction, maintenance, and general airflow. The engine of choice became the Rolls-Royce Avon RA.10 series afterburning turbojet engine (9,150 to 11,400lb thrust output) - though technological advances ultimately made by the Rolls-Royce company eventually led to the RA.12 afterburning turbojet (12,550lb thrust output) becoming the focal powerplant. Engineers also included support for Rocket-Assisted Take-Off (RATO) equipment to get the machine into the air as quickly as possible (acceleration in early turbojets proved limited so rocket power was used to offset this).

As for the 4 x 30mm ADEN autocannons, these would be seated ventrally in the fuselage under the cockpit floor - two cannons to a fuselage side - and a "gun-training" radar unit would have been installed in the right wing member to aid accuracy. To this was added twin housings for up to 36 total (2 x 18) aerial rockets at the fuselage sides in positions located aft of the main landing gear doors. Of course, provision was also drawn up for the carrying of the required air-to-air missiles (up to four) mentioned in the original requirement.

On paper, the P.148 would have been an excellent combination of performance, range, and firepower. As penciled out, the fighter was to have had a maximum speed reaching nearly 700 miles-per-hour with a ceiling near 50,000 feet (requiring cockpit pressurization as well as ejection seats), and a rate-of-climb of 12,320 feet-per-minute.

In any event, the P.148 project went nowhere and the eventual product to fulfill the Royal Navy fleet defense role became the classic "Sea Vixen" twin-boom fighter from de Havilland. This aircraft first-flew in September of 1951 and finally entered service in July of 1959 with a modest total of 145 units completed for the Royal Navy. These flew into 1972.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Saunders-Roe P.148. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 0 Units
Contractor(s): Saunders-Roe - UK

[ United Kingdom (cancelled) ]

1 / 1

Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Going Further...
The Saunders-Roe P.148 Single-Engine Naval Jet Fighter Proposal appears in the following collections:

HOME

AVIATION INDEX

AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY

AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS

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)