McDonnell XF-85 Goblin (Parasite Fighter)

Prototype Jet-Powered Fighter / Bomber Escort [ 1948 ]

The XF-85 Goblin was to be a bomber-released parasite fighter but was soon found to be much too impractical.

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The XF-85 Goblin was an attempt by the McDonnell bureau to realize the dream of a "parasite fighter" program that was actually feasible for use in a wartime environment. The basic theory revolving the parasite fighter was not a new one for development of such a fighter was already attempted by German scientists during the Second World War. Nevertheless, the XF-85 Goblin was - at least in the eyes of McDonnell engineers - to be the first successful attempt, though in practice the retrieval process proved to be too impractical and the program was therefore limited to just two prototypes and fully scrubbed.

The XF-85 featured a most basic aerodynamically friendly design with very little in the way of external features. The system featured the post-war development of swept back wings (pioneered by the Germans throughout World War Two) and were of 37 degrees sweep. The Goblin was to be air dropped from a bomber, fly to and engage targets as needed, then return to the bomber by meeting up with the bomber's retractable hook and trapeze combination. Should an emergency had arisen for the diminutive Goblin, a steel skid was installed underfuselage (along with runners at the wingtips for additional landing support) for emergency landings. Armament for the XP-85 consisted of a 4 x 12.7mm (.50 caliber) machine gun array. Crew accommodations amounted to a single pilot. Power was derived from a single J34 type turbojet mounted at rear with a noticeable intake front of the fuselage. The first flight of the XF-85 Goblin prototype occurred on August 23rd of 1948.

The XF-85 proved to be a stable platform that required very little extended flight knowledge for any pilot to fly her. The one - and major issue - reported by pilots of the XF-85 was in the aircraft retrieval process which proved to be impractical when put into practice. With only two prototypes constructed and flying, the program was cancelled. One of the two XF-85 Goblin prototypes was shipped to the United States Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio for display. The other resides at the Strategic Air and Space Museum in Ashland, Nebraska.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1948

Origin

United States

Status

CANCELLED
Development Ended.

Crew

1

Production

2
UNITS

McDonnell - USA

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

United States

(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.

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

Length

14.8 ft
(4.50 m)

Width/Span

21.0 ft
(6.40 m)

Height

8.2 ft
(2.50 m)

Empty Wgt

3,748 lb
(1,700 kg)

MTOW

5,512 lb
(2,500 kg)

Wgt Diff

+1,764 lb
(+800 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base McDonnell XF-85 Goblin (Parasite Fighter) production variant)

Installed: 1 x Westinghouse XJ34 turbojet delivering 3,000lbs of thrust.

Max Speed

665 mph
(1,070 kph | 578 kts)

Ceiling

47,999 ft
(14,630 m | 9 mi)

Rate-of-Climb

12,500 ft/min
(3,810 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base McDonnell XF-85 Goblin (Parasite Fighter) 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)

STANDARD:
4 x 12.7mm Browning M2 heavy machine guns in nose

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun

Graphical image of an aircraft heavy machine gun

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

Hardpoint Mountings: 0

XF-85 - Prototype Designation; two prototypes manufactured as s/n 46-0523 and 46-0524.

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