MBB Lampyridae (Firefly)

History

It is now clear that in the 1980s, the Americans were not the only forces developing the elusive stealth aircraft (represented by the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk bomber). Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm (MBB) from West Germany set out to work on a separate entry on his own called Lampyridae ("fireflies").

However, for whatever reason, the project never came up as a combat fighter. Nonetheless, the planned goals of this work are laudable.

This unique aircraft of European origin features sharp angles and faceted panels in its design. The diamond-shaped planform was chosen, including a vertical tail, a very pointed nose and a cockpit canopy to match the usually pointed shape. The design is not dissimilar to the "Have Blue" products that preceded the F-117, but apparently has no influence from the American approach - the two designs are independent of different parts of the world.

The tricycle landing gear is a traditional feature of the design. The single engine, buried in the fuselage, was drawn in through an inverted triangular air intake under the cockpit.

In 1985 the Germans tested a wind tunnel model. In 1987, USAF personnel saw the work, and to their surprise, it was closely related to their Have Blue/F-117 programs, which were conducted in complete secrecy.

Likewise, the German adventure is of a mystical nature, so the paths of the two plans should never cross. In the end, the emergence of Lampryridae was considered purely coincidentalan argument that was eventually accepted in the United States.

In addition to the wind tunnel model, there was a full-scale model, but since the project was abandoned, almost nothing else came out of the project.

The performance and dimensional data shown on this page are approximate.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes