From the last “ID this aircraft” contest:
An irritatingly undated brochure (seems to be from 1961 based on a schedule) details a tilt-wing concept that NAA tried to sell to the military for an all-singing, all-dancing aircraft. Roles included:
- Troop carrier
- Medical transport
- Fuel transport
- Mobile emergency maintenance shop
- Aerial fire support
- Aerial spray (defoliants, chemicalw arfare agents, etc.)
- Surveillance
The design was a fairly conventional tilt-wing design with four 500-horsepower turboprop engines driving four 13 ft, 3 in blades and a tail mounted fan for pitch control and added lift. For VTOL missions the payload was limited to 2,640 pounds; for STOL missions it could go up to 4,000 pounds. For STOL missiosn the radius at 200 knots cruise was 250 nautical miles without refueling, with a landing at the far end and a return payload of 2,000 pounds. For VTOL missions, the radius dropped to 100 nautical miles with 2,640 pounds out, 1,200 pounds back at 200 knots.
Take off gross weight for VTOL was 11,000 pounds; for STOL it was 14,000 pounds. Max airspeed was 240 knots. Ferry range with max fuel was 3,000 nautical miles. Time from end of preliminary design to first flight was predicted to be a brisk 15 months, with first production vehicle delivered about 19 months after that. Must’ve been a design from before the PowerPoint Era.
