Behold, Book One: Boeing B-47 Stratojet and B-52 Stratofortress; Origins & Evolution

 aircraft, art, awesomeness, B-47 and B-52 Origins and Evolution, Book X, books, drawings, history, news, nukes, projects, rockets, spacecraft, US Bomber Projects  No Responses »
Apr 272021
 

My publisher has gone public with Book One, entitled

Boeing B-47 Stratojet and B-52 Stratofortress; Origins & Evolution

Woo!

It is being published by Mortons out of Britain, is scheduled for release at the end of September, and is going to be around 250 to 280 pages (I’m still furiously working away at it). As those who have seen my work may assume, it will be loaded to the gills with diagrams, in this case covering the competitors to the B-47 and B-52, the original concepts, how the designs evolved and many of the proposed and built derivatives. You can pre-order at the link above. I’m getting confirmation on availability in the States… Amazon and Barnes & Noble and other sources. Will report back on that, but it does look like both outlets will carry it.

I will post more details – including glimpses of diagrams and some of the color art created for the book by Rob Parthoens – in the coming days. Feel free to ask questions.

 

Note: Book Two has not yet gone public. But Book Two should be published *first* since it is finished and edited; I’ve seen and approved the layout. All it’s missing right now is cover art, which is in process.

 

And…behold! An Amazon link, listing it as available in late November/early December. Just in time for Chrisnukkwanzayulmass! Note though that the “150 page” length listed there is incorrect… came from the original placeholder text.

 Posted by at 8:51 am

MC-747

 aircraft, history, Hmm..., nukes, projects, rockets, US Bomber Projects, weapons, youtube  No Responses »
Mar 072021
 

A video (made with a few contributions from yours truly, and, yes, attributed as such within the video) describing the 1970s Boeing design for an ICBM-carrying airliner, the MC-747. This is described and illustrated in US Bomber Projects issue 21, AVAILABLE HERE.

An interesting idea to be sure, but an unsafe one. Were one of these aircraft to go down for whatever reason, the results would be No Damned Good. Almost certainly the warheads would not go nuclear, but it’s always possible that the combo of the crash, the burning jet fuel and the solid rocket propellant merrily burning away might cause the chemical explosives in the warheads to go off, potentially scattering plutonium all over hither and yon. Worse still would be if the plutonium got sprinkled with the solid propellant and the plutonium combusted, scattering not just chunks and bits of plutonium, which would be bad enough, but clouds of plutonium oxide or plutonium chloride.

Perhaps more dangerous would be the Soviet reaction. They’d be in a constant state of freaking out every time one of these took to the sky, and they probably would have difficulty telling an MC-747 from an E-4 or a civilian 747. And, of course, they’d have to have their own. the AN-124 would be the logical choice for an ICBM carrier, and chances are good they’d do as good of a job with it as they did with Chernobyl, the Kursk or the Polyus.

 Posted by at 12:58 pm

Website trouble part 2

 AARRRGH, APR, blather, Gah., US Bomber Projects, US Transport Projects, ಠ_ಠ  No Responses »
Sep 092019
 

A few days ago I asked if people were having trouble accessing the other website, http://aerospaceprojectsreview.com. The responses were roughly split between “no problem” and “forbidden.” I’ve gotten a response from the tech support at the web host… the security software loaded onto the site that is designed to protect the site from malicious attacks needed to be reset for some reason, and in the meantime it’s become overly enthusiastic in blocking people. Resetting has been initiated, but it will apparently take 24 to 48 hours to fully take effect.

So if you’ve had issues accessing the page or one of the sub-pages, take a moment in a day or two to see if you can now access it. Let me know when things work or, come Wednesday or so, if you’re still having issues.

This is *not* the sort of thing I needed now. If someone goes to a website and the thing won’t load up, chances are fair they’ll never go back. Sales of USBP22 and USTP09, released after the site started blocking an unknown but non-trivial number of people, are substantially reduced from hat they should have been. This added stress and lessened finances right now is *not* friggen helpful.

 Posted by at 2:58 am

US Bomber Projects #22, US Transport Projects #09

 aircraft, awesomeness, history, new products, nukes, projects, rockets, US Bomber Projects, US Transport Projects  No Responses »
Sep 042019
 

US Bomber Projects #22 and Transport Projects #09 are now available.

US Bomber Projects #22

Cover art was provided by Rob Parthoens, www.baroba.be

US Bomber Projects #22 is now available (see HERE for the entire series). Issue #22 includes:

  • GD/NASA Mach 5 Cruise Waverider: A 1990’s design very much like the “Aurora”
  • NASA SR-2P Dash-On-Warning: a vertically launched ICBM carrier
  • Republic MX-773B-2: a two-stage ramjet surface-to-surface missile
  • Convair Subsonic Nuclear Carrier Based Aircraft: A miniature naval NX-2
  • Consolidated Vultee “Parallel Staged Operational Missile:” an unusual early configuration for the Atlas ICBM
  • Convair MX-1626: an early B-36-carried design leading to the B-58
  • Boeing B-52X: a trie of layouts for four-engined B-52s
  • Boeing Model 988-122/123: A highly maneuverable stealthy flying wing

USBP #22 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4.25:

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Don’t forget to pick up the previous issue, US Bomber Projects #21…

 

—

Also available:

US Transport Projects #09

Cover art was provided by Rob Parthoens, www.baroba.be

US Transport Projects #09 is now available (see HERE for the entire series). Issue #09 includes:

  • Convair 58-9 SST: A design fora preliminary low-capacity test SST
  • Boeing Model 757-3150: An important step in the development of the 747
  • Convair Nuclear Powered GEM Aircraft Carrier: a fast long-range strike carrier
  • Aero Spacelines “Pregnant Princess:” A jet-propelled Saturn rocket carrier
  • Seversky Executive: A 1930’s design for a prop-powered “business jet”
  • Williams International V-Jet: A 1980’s concept for a small executive transport
  • Lockheed L-152-15: A very early jetliner
  • Lockheed Martin 777F-sized Hybrid Wing body: A very recent large and efficient cargo transport

USTP #09 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4.25:

——–

—

Don’t forget the previous issue, US Transport Projects #08…

—

 Posted by at 12:11 am

Submersible Nuclear Ramjet art: launch

 aircraft, art, awesomeness, Crazy, history, Hmm..., new products, nukes, projects, rockets, ships, US Bomber Projects  6 Responses »
May 032018
 

Artwork was created for USBP 21 by Rob Parthoens depicting the Convair Submersible Nuclear Ramjet launching vertically from the ocean. This is approximately the craziest design for a manned aircraft I’ve seen from the post-war period.

Be sure to check out US Bomber Projects issue 21 to read more about this design.

 

 Posted by at 2:16 am

US Bomber Projects #21 and Spacecraft Projects #05

 aircraft, history, new products, nukes, projects, rockets, spacecraft, US Bomber Projects, US Spacecraft Projects, weapons  9 Responses »
Apr 262018
 

US Bomber Projects #21 and Spacecraft Projects #05 are now available.

US Bomber Projects #21

Cover art was provided by Rob Parthoens, www.baroba.be

US Bomber Projects #21 is now available (see HERE for the entire series). Issue #21 includes:

  • Convair Submersible Nuclear Ramjet: a Mach 4 manned nuclear powered flying submarine
  • Bell MX-776: an early post-war pilotless airplane
  • Convair Manned Flyback Atlas: an unconventional recoverable ICBM
  • DTNSRDC PAR-WIG Strategic Deterrent: a low-flying aircraft packing 4 Trident ballistic missiles
  • Boeing Model 464-197: a supersonic B-52
  • Martin Model 151-K: a pre-war twin-engined medium bomber
  • Boeing Cruise Ballistic Missile: an entire aircraft packed into a silo, carrying an ICBM
  • MC-747 Air Mobile System: a 1973 concept for carrying up to seven ICBMs in a modified cargo jet

 

 

USBP #21 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4.25:

——–

US Spacecraft Projects #5

US Spacecraft Projects #05 is now available (see HERE for the entire series). Issue #05 includes:

  • Project HORIZON Lunar Lander: a late 1950’s US Army concept for a manned Lunar lander
  • Lockheed-Martin Mars Ascent/Descent Vehicle: A very recent concept for a future manned Mars vehicle
  • JPL Interstellar Precursor: a 970’s design for a space probe to interstellar space
  • Lockheed Modular Rotating Space Station: a truly gigantic design circa 1970
  • Lockheed Payload Carrier: an early 1960’s spaceplane for space station logistics
  • Martin-Marietta Winged NIMF: a nuclear powered “hopper”
  • Lockheed CL-414: a capsule for Man in Space Soonest
  • NASA HAVOC: High Altitude Venus Operational Concept, a 2015 project for manned exploration of the atmosphere of Venus

USSP #05 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $5.25:

——–

 

The previous releases of US Aerospace Projects:

US VTOL Projects #2

  • SOS Interceptor: A US Navy Mach 3 aircraft with jettisonable wings
  • Lockheed GL-224-3: A small battlefield surveillance and ground attack plane
  • Phalanx Dragon MP-18: An unconventional small civilian transport
  • Lockheed L-161-1: An early concept for a variable geometry roadable helicopter
  • GE Supersonic V/STOL: A supersonic strike fighter with flip-out lift fans
  • Convair ANP-VTOL: A nuclear-powered ground-effect craft of the Navy of unusual configuration
  • Piasecki 16H-3: A compound helicopter for high speed passenger transport
  • Boeing Vertol Model 147: A tilt-wing close support fire support design for the US Army

USVP #2 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4.25:

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US Research & Recon Projects #2

  • Lockheed A-1: The first true design leading to the SR-71
  • Bell MX-2147 Model 105: The high altitude “X-16”
  • Boeing/CRC/AMROC X-34 Reference Configuration: A reusable launcher test vehicle
  • Martin Model 159: A scout/observation float plane
  • NASA-Langley Low-Boom Demonstrator: a recent design to demonstrate quiet SST tech
  • McDonnell-Douglas DC-9 Super 80 Propfan Configuration 1: A fuel efficient transport demo
  • Convair “HAZEL” MC-10: An inflatable Mach 3 plane for the Navy
  • Republic Manned Hypersonic Reconnaissance Vehicle: an early scramjet concept

 

USRP #2 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4.25:

——–

 

 Posted by at 11:18 pm

“Sticky” posts

 US Bomber Projects, US Fighter Projects, US Launch Vehicle Projects, US Research & Recon Projects, US Spacecraft Projects, US Transport Projects, US VTOL Projects  No Responses »
Feb 252018
 

You may have noticed some older US Bomber/Fighter/Etc. Projects sales posts appearing at the top of the page. This is courtesy of the “Stick this post to the front page” option that I can apply to posts, a feature I’ve ignored until very recently. The purpose here is to remind folks of stuff I’ve published; once a post has slid off the front page, it’s pretty much gone as far as most visitors are concerned. Please note that each post has a date on it; and older sales-posts will have text like “Now Available” removed from them, leaving that only for brand-new posts.

 Posted by at 3:06 pm

US Aerospace Projects catalog page updated

 APR, US Bomber Projects, US Fighter Projects, US Launch Vehicle Projects, US Research & Recon Projects, US Spacecraft Projects, US Transport Projects, US VTOL Projects  2 Responses »
Feb 152018
 

Updated the webpage is an irritating process compared to adding new blog posts, but I’ve finally gotten around to updating the Aerospace Projects Review main page and the US Aerospace Projects catalog page:

http://aerospaceprojectsreview.com/

http://aerospaceprojectsreview.com/bomproj.htm

 

 Posted by at 12:10 am
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