Lockheed XFV-1 Salmon
The Lockheed XFV was an experimental tail-sitting prototype aircraft built the early 1950s to demonstrate the operation of a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) fighter for protecting convoys.
Evaluation was delayed when the proposed powerplant, the 7,100 shp Allison T54 became unavailable. Instead a 5,332 hp (3,976 kW) Allison YT40-A-6 turboprop engine driving three-bladed contra-rotating propellers was used.
Testing was conducted using a temporary undercarriage allowing the XFV-1 to take off and land conventionally. As the aircraft never made a vertical take off or landing, this became a permanent fixture.
Intended to be capable of landing on platforms mounted on the afterdecks of conventional ships, it was realised that only the most experienced pilots would be able to achieve this. Matched with the increased speed of conventional fighters, which were superior to the XFV-1, the project was cancelled along with the competing Convair XFY Pogo design.
Photographs of the Lockheed XFV-1 Salmon
With Temporary Landing Gear
On Launch Platform
In Flight
Sitting Vertically on Tail
