Parasite aircraft
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A parasite aircraft is an aircraft which is carried underneath, and air launched by, a mothership aircraft.
The first use for parasite aircraft was in 1916, when the British used a Bristol Scout, flying from a Felixstowe Porte Baby, a giant flying boat of its time. This eventually developed into modern jet bombers carrying fully capable fighter aircraft. In some cases, these aircraft are able to return to their mothership. As fighter capabilities increased, this role was seen as less and less necessary.
Other uses include launching spacecraft, experimental aircraft, and manned and unmanned reconnaissance aircraft.
Famous examples include (but are not restricted to):
Image:Bristol Scout on Felixstowe Porte Baby first composite aircraft 1916.jpg
- Porte Baby/Scout, the first parasite aircraft (1916)
- L 35 (LZ 80)/Albatros D.III, the first parasite fighter, flying from an airship (January 26 1918)
- HMA 23/Camel, parasite fighter, flying from an airship (1918)
- Royal Air Force Trials of DH 53 Hummingbird light planes launched and recoverd by the airship R33 (1924), followed by equipping the airship with two Gloster Grebe fighters (1925).
- USS Akron and Macon/F9C, a very successful U.S. Navy escort fighter program, ended when the airships crashed (1925)
- S21/S20, Short-Mayo Composite a flying boat/seaplane combination for transoceanic postal service (1938)
- TB-3/SPB, the first parasite aircraft to see combat (1941)
- Do 217E/Me 328, escort fighter, unsuccessful due to engine problems
- Betty/Ohka, a Japanese kamikaze aircraft, which caused extensive damage to opposing forces (1945)
- B-29/X-1, research into supersonic flight (1947)
- B-36/XF-85, an attempt to equip bombers with their own escort fighters (1948)
- B-29/X-2, Mach 2.0 flight (1952)
- B-36/F-84, another, more successful, escort fighter attempt (1952)
- B-52/X-15, for research into high-Mach flight (1960)
- B-52/X-24, lifting body research (1969)
- DC-130/Q-2C Firebee, C-130 based drone
- SR-71/D-21, for high-speed reconnaissance (1963)
- Boeing 747/Space Shuttle Enterprise, for landing tests (1977)
- L-1011/Pegasus, for satellite launches (1990)
- White Knight/SpaceShipOne, as part of the Tier One privately-funded suborbital system (2004)
- B-52/X-43 Hyper-X, a hypersonic research test article
- White Knight/X-37, for DARPA's spaceplane project
