Navy had a short-lived operational parasite fighter, the Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk, aboard the airships Akron and Macon. The concept of a parasite fighter had its origins in 1918, when the Royal Air Force examined the viability of Sopwith Camel parasite fighters operating from R23 airships. The USAAF considered a number of different options including the use of remotely piloted vehicles before choosing parasite fighters as the most viable B-36 defense. Pilot fatigue had also been a problem during long fighter escort missions in Europe and the Pacific, giving further impetus to innovative approaches. The development cost for longer-ranged fighters was high, while aerial refueling was still considered risky and technologically difficult. These fighters could not match the range of the Northrop B-35 or Convair B-36, the next generation of bombers developed by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF).
Mcdonnell xf 85 goblin serial number#
XF-85 serial number 46-523 in the National Museum of the United States Air Forceĭuring World War II, American bombers such as the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Consolidated B-24 Liberator and Boeing B-29 Superfortress were protected by long-range escort fighters such as the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt and North American P-51 Mustang. The 1947 successor to the USAAF, the United States Air Force (USAF), continued to examine the concept of parasite aircraft under Project MX-106 "Tip Tow", Project FICON and Project "Tom-Tom" following the cancellation. The XF-85 was swiftly canceled, and the prototypes were thereafter relegated to museum exhibits. Flight tests showed promise in the design, but the aircraft's performance was inferior to the jet fighters it would have faced in combat, and there were difficulties in docking. The prototypes were built and underwent testing and evaluation in 1948. The XF-85 was a diminutive jet aircraft featuring a distinctive egg-shaped fuselage and a forked-tail stabilizer design. This was to address the limited range of existing interceptor aircraft compared to the greater range of new bomber designs. The XF-85 was a response to a USAAF requirement for a fighter to be carried within the Northrop XB-35 and B-36, then under development. McDonnell built two prototypes before the Air Force (USAAF) terminated the program. The XF-85's intended role was to defend bombers from hostile interceptor aircraft, a need demonstrated during World War II. It was intended to deploy from the bomb bay of the giant Convair B-36 bomber as a parasite fighter. The McDonnell XF-85 Goblin is an American prototype fighter aircraft conceived during World War II by McDonnell Aircraft.
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