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.
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")
Summary Table of V/STOL Aircraft
(c) 1997 American Helicopter Society