Douglas F5D Skylancer
The Douglas F5D Skylancer was a development of the F4D Skyray for the U.S. Navy. It evolved out of all-weather version of the F4D -2N. The design was revised and better adapted to the J57 engine.
As the differences to the F4D were too large, the aircraft was renamed F5D. Most body parts have been completely redesigned and the aircraft was 2.4 meters longer. Only the airfoil shape remained largely intact, although the Trägflächendicke was lowered. Main objective was to increase flight stability at high speeds.
Although she had four 20 -mm cannons in the wings, the main armament was rockets. You could carry either four AIM-9 Sidewinders or AIM -7 Sparrow two, such as a battery of 72 uncontrolled 51- mm rockets.
Nine test machines were ordered and then have 51 series machines. The first flight took place on 21 April 1956. At this supersonic flight, the aircraft showed good flight characteristics, and excellent performance. After four machines were built, the U.S. Navy canceled the orders. She ordered instead F8U Chance Vought Crusader machines. Some aviation historians believe that this was more political than factual reasons because Douglas was already producing large parts of the U.S. Navy aircraft, other manufacturers should also come to train.
The four machines were used in various military test programs. Two machines were retired in 1961. The other two went to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics ( NACA ) to serve as a test of supersonic passenger aircraft. The findings were also incorporated into the European Concorde program. One aircraft was retired in 1968. The second plane went into the space shuttle program X-20 DynaSoar, which, however, was abandoned in 1970.
A plane still exists today in the Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta. The astronaut Neil Armstrong flew this aircraft in the Dyna- Soar program.