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The Leduc 0.21 was a
research aircraft
An experimental aircraft is an aircraft intended for testing new aerospace technologies and design concepts.
The term ''research aircraft'' or '' testbed aircraft'', by contrast, generally denotes aircraft modified to perform scientific studies, ...
built in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
in
1953 to refine the practicalities of
ramjet
A ramjet, or athodyd (aero thermodynamic duct), is a form of airbreathing jet engine that uses the forward motion of the engine to produce thrust. Since it produces no thrust when stationary (no ram air) ramjet-powered vehicles require an a ...
propulsion. Initially proposed as the 0.20, it was essentially similar to its predecessor, the
Leduc 0.10, but scaled up by around 30%, with
tip tank
Aircraft fuel tanks are a major component of aircraft fuel systems. They can be classified into internal or external fuel tanks and can be further classified by method of construction or intended use. Safety aspects of aircraft fuel tanks were exa ...
s added to the wings. It was not capable of take-off under its own power, and had to be
carried aloft and released.
Two examples were built and completed a very detailed flight test program from 1953 to 1956 to develop automated, operationally viable throttle controls for the ramjet. This included a total of 284 free flights. Designed for
subsonic
Subsonic may refer to:
Motion through a medium
* Any speed lower than the speed of sound within a sound-propagating medium
* Subsonic aircraft, a flying machine that flies at air speeds lower than the speed of sound
* Subsonic ammunition, a type o ...
speeds only, the 0.21 reached a top speed of Mach 0.95.
Specifications
References
Bibliography
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External links
* http://xplanes.free.fr/stato/stato-2.html
* test flight footage for Leduc 0.10, 0.16, 0.21, and 0.22 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzUJrweHxso
{{Leduc aircraft
1950s French experimental aircraft
Leduc aircraft
Ramjet-powered aircraft
Mid-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1953