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Saunders-Roe SR.53

History

After the end of World War II (1939-1945), the enemies of the Kingdom of Italy, Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan surrendered, and the enemy of the West is now the mighty Soviet Union. In addition to his growing nuclear aspirations, the threat is high-flying strategic bombers that can be used at long distances, fly over ground defenses, and deliver lethal payloads without direct counterattack.

As a result, efforts have been made to equip frontline nations such as the UK and France with capable, fast, high-flying interceptors to deal with looming threats. The British foray into the field was the Saunders-Roe "SR.

53" a relatively short-lived hybrid single-seater vehicle with an advanced design for the time.

Requirements

The main requirements for an interceptor, as demonstrated by the air battles of World War II, are the rate of climb and the speed to reach the target. Being able to reach high altitudes and respond to threats in a short period of time is critical to destroying incoming aerial threats. World War II proved, most notably the compact German Messerschmitt Me 163 "Komet" single-seat rocket-powered interceptor, that rocket technology was the only viable technology capable of meeting this requirement.

While the jet age has arrived during conflict, turbojet technology is more or less in its infancy, and rocket performance offers a more promising near-term future in terms of interception.

Specification Formation

The post-World War II era was certainly an exciting time for aeronautical engineering, with technological acceleration due to developments in the early days of the Cold War and growing tensions between East and West. With Britain still on the front lines, the country had to try to devise an internal solution to accommodate the increasing number of Soviet bombers capable of reaching British soil. Formal requirements for air personnel were introduced in January 1952 by the F.124T ??specification, which required a minimum rate of climb of 24,000 feet per minute for rocket-powered interceptors and weapons support for air-to-air missiles and earlier forms of air Air-to-air missiles (ie de Havilland's FireWire infrared-guided missiles).

In addition to Saunders-Roe taking the call, big names such as Blackburn, Bristol, Fairey and Westland were also interested.

The limit of pure rocket performance

One of the biggest challenges these design teams faced was the rocket propulsion scheme. Rocket motors or boosters quickly run out of their fuel supply, leaving only a few minutes of operating power for the same propulsion system expected to be able to transport the aircraft to and from the mission - while giving the aircraft time to attack its target . Rocket power alone was deemed impossible to achieve, so the inclusion of turbojets to handle the pre- and post-attack portions of the barrel was a new requirement for any proposed design. In fact, the WWII Me 163 had a total flight time of only about seven minutes at speeds in excess of 550 mph, and was tactically limited to one or two offensive passes in bomber formations before being recalled.

From there it must slide to the ground on its own lift and land on a belly-mounted skateboard.

The program is constantly evolving to accommodate individual potential candidates

With revisions to requirements and increasing project commitments, only Avro and Saunders-Roe decided to continue using the F.124T ??specification, which produced the Type 720 for the former and the P.154 for the latter. In 1952, Saunders -Roe was awarded a contract for three prototypes designated XD145, XD151 and XD153. Back in 1955, Avro's Type 720 dropped out of the competition, mainly due to the cost of developing both types at the same time. The focus now shifts directly to the P. 154, which belongs to the better known "SR.

53" premium.

SR. 53 tours and installed capacity

Sr. By 1950s standards, the 53 was a very impressive plane, with sharp lines and smooth contours. The fuselage has a pointed cone at the front and a "T-style" (or "multhopp tail") tail at the rear. The tail consists of a vertical tail with a high, fully moving horizontal plane. At the bottom of the tail, the combined engine will be exhausted through two separate exhaust ports (arranged above and below).

Since the fighter does not require a nose-mounted interceptor radar, the nose is usually allowed to be smaller than normal. The sole pilot sits under a simple two-part canopy with a light frame.

The raised fuselage spine needed to accommodate the two propulsion systems and the necessary fuel storage blocked rear visibility. Ground operations should use retractable wheeled landing gear.

The wings are triangular in shape, and the main aircraft is mounted centrally on both sides of the fuselage. The tips of these structures are truncated to accommodate the required missile weapons through wingtip mounts.

The upper and lower engine arrangements include Armstrong Siddeley Viper turbojets mounted in the upper pod and de Havilland Ghost rocket boosters in the lower pod. The former is rated at 1,640 pounds of thrust, while the latter adds 8,000 pounds of thrust. Due to the combined powerplant scheme, most of the fuselage and some wings are used to accommodate the necessary fuel reserves - turbojets use kerosene-based compounds, while turbojets use volatile "high test peroxides" ( HTP) mixture. rocket engine. To inhale the turbojet, small air intakes were located on the shoulders of the two pilots outside the rear frame of the cockpit.

Despite the Viper's high power output, the aircraft still needs the support of the Ghost missiles for launch operations.

The dimensions of this impressive aircraft correspond to an overall length of 45 feet, a wingspan of 25 feet and a height of 10.9 feet. Curb weight is 7,400 lbs and maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) is 18,400 lbs.

Aside from the dangerous fuel mixture and high operating speed, its main limitation was the seven-minute endurance window provided by the rocket booster - also a wartime failure of the Me 163.

The program stops but continues

In a relatively short time, SR. There were several problems with Plan 53: Changing technology and battlefield needs offset the slowly evolving design, which was also delayed by its inherent complexity. The program progressed so slowly that the third airworthy prototype, the XD153, was completely phased out in January 1954 (the Avro 720 was added in 1955, as mentioned earlier). Rolling testing of the XD145 prototype only began in May 1957, and its maiden flight took place on May 16 of that year.

Subsequently, XD151 flew over the heads of the audience several times at the Farnborough Airshow in September this year.

In May 1958, XD145 flew for the first time at supersonic speed (Mach 1.14). In June 1958, the XD151 aborted takeoff, costing the plane and the pilot. Unable to stop, the plane crossed the end of the runway and hit a post before being permanently stopped by a concrete fence. This impact then caused the fully loaded tank to rupture and catch fire.

Overall, this example recorded only 5.15 hours of flight time, covering a total of 11 flights.

This deadly disaster forced the XD145 prototype to be grounded and not allowed to fly again until February 1959, and even then restrictions were in place to prevent another encounter with the XD151. It reached Mach 1.48 in September 1959.

Overall, the SR-53 exhibited exceptional performance for its time: its advertised top speed was Mach 2.1 - 2.2, its service ceiling was 67,000 feet, and its rate of climb was 52,800 feet per second.

End of the road

SR from the beginning. The 53 was intended to be the production-quality interceptor being sought by the Royal Air Force (RAF), but the design was eventually relegated to an experimental data acquisition platform. P. 177, should have something in common with SR. 53.

Now it has been put in the first place, and will one day become an operable form. If it does, it should be a larger, more capable radar-equipped interceptor.

However, waning interest from the authorities led to the termination of the P. 177 program in 1957 after the British Defence Review determined that unmanned aircraft should now be the main consideration for its combat service.

There is little value in keeping the now fully experimental SR after the death knell of P. 177. 53. The aircraft survived the junkyard for a while and was used for further flight testing due to its excellent performance (especially when reaching high altitudes). A total of 46 flights were flown by XD145.

Despite its dangerous nature, pilots still miss their time with the XD145, praising its good control and stability. XD145 was eventually rescued from scrap and preserved as a museum exhibit (RAF Museum Cosford).

Ultimately, in a world where missile technology has advanced enough to allow strategic bombers to enter low-altitude flight paths in time, hybrid-engine interceptors have proven to be almost unnecessary. In addition, jet technology is well developed in its own direction, which further negates the form of a rocket-powered interceptor. Hence, SR.

With the limited technological achievements of the time, the 53 became a footnote in the long history of British aviation as the new age of warfare dawned.

Other Western powers, including the United States and France, tried hybrid-engine interceptors, but neither form entered operational status. The aforementioned Avro Type 720 was only completed in a wind tunnel model, and its plan shape is not dissimilar to the larger, passenger-focused Concorde that will be introduced soon.

The Republic XF-91 "Thunderceptor" (detailed elsewhere on this page), with its odd-looking main aircraft and inverted conical wings, was an American contribution to the field and two prototypes were built for the program. SNCASO "Trident" and SNCASE "Durandal" are notable French contributions - both are detailed elsewhere on this page.