Fifty years ago, the first ground tests were conducted for what would become a long heritage of Vertical and Short Take-Off and Landing (V/STOL) aircraft. Since then, 43 different types have been built and tested. The wheel of V/STOL Aircraft and Propulsion Concepts shows all the different methods that have been tried to combine the vertical flight ability of the helicopter with a high forward speed of fixed wing aircraft. Of all these attempts, so far only three aircraft, the Harrier, the Forger, and the Osprey, have been developed for operational service; only the Harrier is operational today, with the Osprey due to enter service in 2000. The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program, however, is now developing two V/STOL aircraft which will demonstrate their propulsion concepts in 2000; one of these concepts will be selected for development as an operational aircraft to replace the Harrier in the next century.
Introduction
Same Propulsion System for Hover and Forward Flight (Aircraft # 1 - 26)
Separate Power Plant for Hover (Aircraft # 27 - 29)
Combined Power Plant for Hover (Aircraft # 30 - 37)
Augmented Power Plant for Hover (Aircraft # 38 - 45)
Vision For the Future (and Credits, etc)
V/STOL Aircraft and Propulsion Concepts (The V/STOL "Wheel of Misfortune")
(c) 1997 American Helicopter Society