In 1969, Lockheed was tasked by the US air force to design a plane that was so big that it could carry 3000 troops, launch 22 parasite air to air jet fighters and fly for 41 days straight without landing.Designed by Lockheed to find the upper size limit of aircraft using conventional 1969 materials and technology – this is the CL-1201, the biggest aircraft never built.
source-image: Found And Explained
The CL-1201 design project studied a nuclear-powered aircraft of extreme size, with a wingspan of 1,120 feet (340 m). Had it been built, it would have had the largest wingspan of any airplane to date,[1] and more than twice that of any aircraft of the 20th century.The wing would be of crescent form, similar to the British Handley Page Victor V-bomber, but unlike the British design, it was tailless.
source-image: Found And Explained
Power would be derived from the heat generated by a nuclear reactor and transferred to four jet engines near the rear, where it would superheat the air passing through to provide thrust. The craft would be capable of staying airborne for long periods of time, with an estimated endurance of 41 days. At low altitudes, the jets would burn conventional aviation fuel.
source-image: Found And Explained
In order to take off, the plane required 182 additional vertical lift engines.Two variants were studied, a logistics support aircraft and an airborne aircraft carrier. There was a rumored third variant, but information on such a model has never been made public.
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With the reactor system giving out a combined 1.83 gigawatts – allowing this plane to fly 41 days straight at Mach 0.8 over 16,000 feet, only having to land because the crew would run out of food and water. The crew of 475 (which may go up to 800 during an active combat zone), would be needed to maintain operations for 24/7. The reactor itself wouldn’t need to be refueled for over 1000 operation hours.
The logistics support variant would have a conventional heavy transport role, carrying hundreds of troops and their equipment at once.The airborne aircraft carrier would have carried up to 22 fighter aircraft externally and would have an internal dock capable of handling two air-to-ground shuttle transport aircraft.
