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Identify the unconventional trijet. Variable incidence wings, tandem main gear, rotating bomb bay, pressurized. Also identify the Hollywood film that featured it.
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Those who can, can. Those who can't, Google. <VBG> -
1st part was easy, Martin XB-51, I remembered it from my CAP recognition days. I googled the movie..TOWARD THE UNKNOWN
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Yes, immediately recognizable to a kid who spent years in Middle River and learned about everything Martin made....
But, can anyone here tell me anything about the SHORAN navigation and bombing system that the XB51 was built to use???\
This prototype was involved in an eval and fly-off against the Canadian Avro CF-100 Canuck,and the English Electric Canberra. The longer range and lighter wing loading of the Canberra, compared to the XB-51, resulted in the death of the XB-51 program. The Canadians kept trying to build a better machine, based on improvements to the 100, and ultimately came up with the CF-105 Arrow. Canadians in the air-frame business have still not gotten over the political axe of PM Diefenbaker that killed the program (1959), and ultimately, destroyed the business, after no immediate sales were made to the US or UK....
Later cold war notes, known as the Mitrokhin Archives, from a KGB archivist that defected to the UK, revealed that the Canadian governments heavy handed destruction of the Avro technology - allegedly to prevent it falling into the hands of the Russians - had at least some semblance of support.
ReamsComment
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I can point you to the Wikipedia article about it. <VBG> Looks like a clever system, but I have to wonder how hard it would be to jam or spoof.Originally posted by Reams Goodloe View Post
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