RF-4 vs RA-5C

On Thu, 03 Jul 2003 16:24:57 +0200, Ralph Savelsberg
wrote:



Bill Silvey wrote:

wrote in message


Another interesting tidbit about the Vigilante is that the AF
considered putting it back into production for use as an interceptor.


During what time period?


It was somewhere during the late 'sixties/early 'seventies, as part of
the almost never-ending quest for an F-106 replacement.
`Considered putting it back into production' is a bit of a stretch, but
at the time North American Rockwell proposed a derivative of the
Vigilante, with a third engine inserted between (and slightly above) the
two already installed, fed by two dorsal intakes. I have an artist's
impression of the thing (in Planes of Fame 19) in USAF markings and
armed with 6 Phoenix-like missiles (no less) under the fuselage. If
built it would have been quite a beast.

Regards,
Ralph Savelsberg




I've also read they kicked around the idea of one with two J-58s.

On Thu, 03 Jul 2003 09:48:39 -0600, D. Scott Ferrin
wrote:


I've also read they kicked around the idea of one with two J-58s.

I read that elsewhere, the J58 was also mooted for the Thud and the B58 as
well I believe.

I am sure Ed would like to fill us in on the merits of a J58 powered F-105
:-).

greg


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On Thu, 03 Jul 2003 18:01:28 +0100, Greg Hennessy
wrote:

On Thu, 03 Jul 2003 09:48:39 -0600, D. Scott Ferrin
wrote:


I've also read they kicked around the idea of one with two J-58s.

I read that elsewhere, the J58 was also mooted for the Thud and the B58 as
well I believe.

I am sure Ed would like to fill us in on the merits of a J58 powered F-105
:-).

greg



Never heard that about the Thud though I could imagine :-) Others
I've heard considered for the J-58 were a variant of the Crusader III
(which was already pretty fast with the J-75) and several types of
B-58. On the downside I was reading some of the history of the J58
and it seems the one looked at for the Crusader III would have only
had about 26,000lbs of thrust so I'm not sure what it would have got
them as the J75 the prototypes had put out 29k