Mar 022010
One of the designs produced by Boeing for the AWACS program was very similar to the final product, a 707 with a large rotary radar “saucer” on dorsal pylons. But for the reasons of endurance, this 1969 design featured eight, count ’em freakin’ EIGHT, turbofan engines. The TF34-GE2’s were podded as on a B-52, and would provide greater endurance than the 707’s standard four engines (requirement: 14 hours, unrefueled). However, as the program continued the requirement for increased endurance faded, down to 11.5 hours, which the 707’s four engines could handle.
This is a vastly reduced-size and re-blued version of the actual on-hand print.
2 Responses to “Eight-engined AWACS”
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That design is just…odd! Maybe they should have borrowed the new, at the time, 747 instead. Then you would really get endurance!
It would have ended up like the B-52s: We should put turbofans on them, but that costs money (whine whine whine whine)
Jim