Leduc 0.10

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The Leduc 0.10 was a research aircraft built in France that became the the world's first aircraft to fly powered by a ramjet. Designed by René Leduc in 1938, it was built in 1947 at the Breguet factory after a protracted, semi-secret construction phase kept at arm's length from German occupation authorities. The aircraft featured a double-walled fuselage, with the pilot controlling the aircraft from within the inner shell. The circular gap between this and the outer, cylindrical shell provided the inlet for the ramjet.

It could not take off unassisted (ramjets cannot produce thrust at zero airspeed and thus cannot move an aircraft from a standstill) and was therefore intended to be carried aloft by a Sud-Est Languedoc mothership and released at altitude. Following test flights of the Languedoc/0.10 composite, independent, unpowered tests began on 21 October 1947. After three such flights, the first powered flight was made on 21 April 1949 over Blagnac at the hands of Jean Gonord. Released in a shallow dive at an altitude of 4,000 m (13,100 ft), the engine was tested at half power for twelve minutes, propelling the aircraft to 680 km/h (423 mph).

In subsequent tests, the 0.10 reached a top speed of Mach 0.85 and demonstrated the viability of the ramjet as an aviation powerplant, with a rate of climb that exceeded that of the best jet fighters of the time - 39.6 m/s (7,792 ft/min).

Of the two 0.10s originally built, one was destroyed in a crash in 1951 and the other severely damaged in another crash the following year. Both pilots survived with serious injuries.

In addition to these, a third aircraft was built, designated 0.16. Generally similar to the 0.10s, it featured a Turbomeca Marbore I turbojet on each wingtip, to provide better control during landings. This first flew on 8 February 1951, but was converted back to 010 standards a few months later after the powerplant synchronization and wing deflection issues caused by the turbojets proved insurmountable. The engines were replaced by inert mass balances.

pecifications (0.10)

aerospecs
ref=
met or eng?= met

crew=One pilot
capacity=
length m=10.25
length ft=33
length in=8
span m=10.52
span ft=34
span in=6
swept m=
swept ft=
swept in=
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rot dia m=
rot dia ft=
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dia m=
dia ft=
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width m=
width ft=
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height m=
height ft=
height in=
wing area sqm=16.0
wing area sqft=172
swept area sqm=
swept area sqft=
rot area sqm=
rot area sqft=
volume m3=
volume ft3=
aspect ratio=
wing profile=
empty weight kg=1,700
empty weight lb=3,740
gross weight kg=2,800
gross weight lb=6,160
lift kg=
lift lb=

eng1 number=1
eng1 type=Leduc ramjet
eng1 kw=
eng1 hp=
eng1 kn= 15.7
eng1 lbf= 3,520
eng1 kn-ab=
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max speed kmh=800
max speed mph=500
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armament6= aircontent
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References

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External links

* http://xplanes.free.fr/stato/stato-2.html