Folland Fo.148

History

The last official entry in the history of military aviation related to the Folland Aircraft Company is "Fo. 148". The aircraft was proposed in accordance with the Royal Air Force (RAF) requirements for a "combined" airframe suitable for junior/advanced pilot training and light strike operations.

While this requirement ultimately followed another Folland proposal, the Fo, with the improved, trainer-oriented SEPECAT Jaguar jet Fo. 148. 147 (detailed elsewhere on this site), trying to woo RAF authorities.

with twin engine Fo. 147 proposal based on the proposed Gnat Mk. Model 5, F. 148 was equipped with a single-engine unit from the Gnat Mk. 1. The same high-wing main aircraft arrangement will be used, albeit modified to have an inherent "variable geometry" (VG) or "swing-wing" capability.

The swept wing feature of the main aircraft allows the aircraft to operate more efficiently at low and high airspeeds by changing the sweep of the main aircraft in real-time/in-flight.

Folland engineer came up with Fo. The 148 serves as a "one-size-fits-all" solution capable of fulfilling the basic and advanced jet trainer roles of RAF pilots, with secondary light attack capability. The relative simplicity of the Gnat framework should also entice foreign operators to buy into that type of volume.

All these plans resulted in three different forms of base Fo. 148 proposed: base trainer and fixed-wing main aircraft without radar and afterburner, advanced trainer model with full swept wing capability but without afterburner and advanced weapons/avionics support, and access to all The light attack platform's advanced systems (including nose radar) and afterburner engines, well, provide a solid low-level attacker.

In any case, the plane will be powered by a Rolls-Royce RB153-61 turbojet, providing 6,720 pounds of dry thrust and 11,750 pounds of reheated thrust. The engine is mounted at the rear of the fuselage and is drawn in through side-mounted air intakes. Additionally, the aircraft will have a two-person crew seated side-by-side and feature retractable tricycle landing gear for ground operations. The rear wing features a single vertical fin and a low horizontal plane - a stark contrast to earlier Fos.

147, which was using a unique rotating/telescopic canard arrangement that resulted in the removal of the horizontal stabilizer element. All wing surfaces are swept back in Fo. 148 designs.

In addition to the faceted fuselage, the aircraft's engines were designed to have a "thrust reverser" mass to shorten landing strokes (a feature that was noted in the contemporary Swedish Cold War Saab JAS 37 "Wiegand" fighters are reflected on this page), the inherent ability to carry missiles for potential interception missions, and the advanced fire control systems (FCS) found in then high-profile RAF platforms such as British Electrics Lightning supersonic interceptor ). Fo should contain two hard points. 148, these are located on the underside of the fuselage and support "Red Top" air-to-air missiles or "Bullpup" air-to-surface missiles depending on the desired attack role (up to 2,000 pounds holding store possible).

According to the draft, the aircraft would have a barrel length of 47 feet and a wingspan of 35 feet. Gross weight should be 16,500. The recommended top speed is just over Mach 2.0.

Anyway, Buddha. 148 failed due to net interest, as did Fo. Before 147 - no one was in the prototype stage. Fo's first flight. The 148 prototype was actually planned for late 1963 or early 1964 but failed, and both designs were ultimately just proposals destined to never come.

ends with fo. Proposition 148 saw the end of Folland as the company's brand label was incorporated into Hawke Sidley between 1959 and 1960.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes