Curtiss VF-11B

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The Curtiss VF-11B was the third, and final, design proposal directed at a potential Untied States Navy (USN) fleet defense fighter requirement in the immediate post-World War 2 period. The first two offerings (detailed elsewhere on this site) were to rely on a tailed delta-wing planform with the original's (VF-11) twin-engine layout given up in favor of the subsequent (VB-11A) proposal's single Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet. By the time of the VF-11B, the aircraft was largely reworked to include swept-back wing mainplanes and a V-style tail arrangement with outward-canted fins.

The consistent qualities between the three designs were: turbojet powered propulsion scheme (with rocket-boosting for enhanced acceleration), tricycle undercarriage, expected carrier equipment / features (arrestor hook, folding wings), all-rocket armament (fired from the lower portside of the nose), and seating for a single crewman under a three-piece canopy.

The VB-11B was certainly the most conventional of the trio mainly due to the mainplanes, these being low-mounted along the sides of the fuselage and swept back at both their leading and trailing edges. The V-style tail unit was a considerable departure but implemented due to collected data championing weight-savings. The British Rolls-Royce "Nene" turbojet was carried over from the A-model proposal and this was to be aspirated by side-mounted intakes as in the first two designs - the expected thrust output rated at around 8,400lb and offering an afterburner capability. With the sloping nose assembly, the pilot was afforded excellent forward vision out-of-the-cockpit and the lowered dorsal line helped to achieve some rearward vision.

As drawn up, this Curtiss naval interceptor was to have a wingspan of 36 feet and a length of 36.2 feet. Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) was to reach 12,000lb and maximum speeds were in the vicinity of 650 miles-per-hour. Rate-of-climb with rocket-boosting was to exceed 20,000 feet-per-minute.

Like the other submissions of the VF-11 series, the VF-11B did not advance beyond this paper stage.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1947

Origin

United States

Status

CANCELLED
Development Ended.

Crew

Production

0
UNITS

Curtiss Aeroplane Company - USA

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

United States (cancelled)

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.

✓ Interception
Ability to intercept inbound aerial threats by way of high-performance, typically speed and rate-of-climb.

✓ Maritime / Navy
Land-based or shipborne capability for operating over-water in various maritime-related roles while supported by allied naval surface elements.

✓ X-Plane (Developmental, Prototype, Technology Demonstrator)
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.

WING SWEEPBACK

Mainplanes, or leading edges, features swept-back lines for enhanced high-speed performance and handling.

FOLDING WING(S)

Mainplanes are designed to fold, improving storage on land and at sea.

RUGGED AIRFRAME

Inherent ability of airframe to take considerable damage.

HIGH-SPEED PERFORMANCE

Can accelerate to higher speeds than average aircraft of its time.

HIGH-ALTITUDE PERFORMANCE

Can reach and operate at higher altitudes than average aircraft of its time.

EXTENDED RANGE PERFORMANCE

Capability to travel considerable distances through onboard fuel stores.

SUPER PERFORMANCE

Design covers the three all-important performance categories of speed, altitude, and range.

MARITIME OPERATION

Ability to operate over ocean in addition to surviving the special rigors of the maritime environment.

PILOT / CREW EJECTION SYSTEM

Assisted process of allowing its pilot and / or crew to eject in the event of an airborne emergency.

CREWSPACE PRESSURIZATION

Supports pressurization required at higher operating altitudes for crew survival.

ENCLOSED CREWSPACE(S)

Features partially- or wholly-enclosed crew workspaces.

RETRACTABLE UNDERCARRIAGE

Features retracting / retractable undercarriage to preserve aerodynamic efficiency.

Length

36.3 ft
(11.05 m)

Width/Span

35.9 ft
(10.95 m)

Empty Wgt

10,417 lb
(4,725 kg)

MTOW

11,905 lb
(5,400 kg)

Wgt Diff

+1,488 lb
(+675 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Curtiss VF-11B production variant)

monoplane / low-mounted / swept-back

Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represent the most popular mainplane arrangement.

Low-Mounted
Mainplanes are low-mounted along the sides of the fuselage.

Swept-Back
The planform features wing sweep back along the leading edges of the mainplane, promoting higher operating speeds.

(Structural descriptors pertain to the base Curtiss VF-11B production variant)

Installed: 1 x Rolls-Royce Nene afterburning turbojet engine developing 8,400lb of thrust.

Max Speed

646 mph
(1,040 kph | 562 kts)

Cruise Speed

485 mph
(780 kph | 421 kts)

Max. Speed Diff

+162 mph
(+260 kph | 140 kts)

Ceiling

50,033 ft
(15,250 m | 9 mi)

Rate-of-Climb

20,500 ft/min
(6,248 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Curtiss VF-11B production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

PROPOSED:
6 x 5" (127mm) High-Explosive, fin-stabilized aerial rockets fired from lower port side fuselage.

Supported Types

Graphical image of aircraft aerial rockets

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 0

VF-11 - Base Fighter Proposal of 1946.

VF-11A - Revised proposal with squared-off vertical tail fin and single Rolls-Royce turbojet engine.

VF-11B - Revised proposal showcasing more traditional fighter design mainplane wing arrangement; outward-canted V-style tail unit.

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Curtiss VF-11B

Carrierborne Fleet Defense Fighter Proposal [ 1947 ]

The Curtiss VF-11B rounded out a trio of submissions to the United States Navy to cover a fleet defense fighter requirement down the road.

Specifications

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