McDonnell Douglas DC-10RS Dragon
(The following is a fictional history of a fictional aircraft serving with a fictional air force...though at least the model is real.)
When the FIRAF was formed in 1974, Minister of Defense Akela Canis had no plans to acquire a bomber of any kind, save for strike aircraft like the F-105 Thunderchief or the Panavia Tornado. The small nation had no real need for a strategic bomber. However, groups in Congress disagreed, and Canis was overruled.
With Congress demanding a heavy bomber, Canis was forced to find a solution. He did, however, see some advantages to having a small heavy bomber force: as a veteran of Vietnam, Canis had seen firsthand the power projection ability of the B-52; having a “bomb truck” able to rain bombs onto a target might prove rather useful. It was suggested that the FIRAF procure the B-52D Stratofortress, which the USAF was planning to phase out; Canis demurred, citing the B-52D’s advanced age, while the Carter administration refused to sell it, as it would violate several arms-control treaties. With the B-52D unavailable and Canis’ only other alternative, acquiring the Avro Vulcan, also being refused by the UK, the only route left was for the FIRAF to develop its own design. The cost of such a program would be enormous and far beyond the FIRAF’s budget.
It was then that Canis heard of an abortive attempt by the USAF to replace the cancelled B-1 with an “off-the-shelf” conversion of the Boeing 747 into a massive cruise missile carrier. While converting an airliner to a bomber was not the best solution, it was the only one left. The FIRAF had already chosen the L-1011 for its tanker design, but program delays with the Tristar led Canis to approach McDonnell Douglas about converting the DC-10 into a bomber in June 1979. Canis expected to be flatly turned down or even laughed at, but instead, McDonnell Douglas reacted favorably. The reason was simple: the DC-10 program was in trouble, under attack from the media as being unsafe following the crash of American Airlines Flight 191, and even the USAF was feeling leery about the KC-10 Extender tanker. Canis’ initial proposal buy of 24 aircraft would help restore faith in the aircraft and give more orders to the beleaguered program.
Now that the political problems were solved, the question remained on how to convert the DC-10-30 airframe to that of a bomber. Through Intelani Airlines, two DC-10-30ERs were bought and built first as basic airliners, then gutted and rebuilt as DC-10Bs. This involved first the addition of weapons bays, plus hydraulic bay doors—two forward of the wing, and one aft of it. The basic cockpit of the DC-10-30 was retained, with a three-man crew, while a second compartment was added in what had been the first class section of the airliner, where the bombardier and navigator sat. The aircraft would be fitted with an attack suite based on that of the then-cancelled B-1A and built around the General Electric AN/APB-200 bomb radar, which was mounted in the aircraft’s belly. Finally, Canis insisted that some sort of defensive armament be placed on the DC-10B; a single M61A1 Vulcan 20mm gatling cannon was fitted in the tail below the engine. A gunner’s position was set in what had been the aft galley and restroom section of the DC-10-30; the gunner would control the gun via radar and a TV camera set below the cannon. The aircraft would also be fitted with a comphrensive electronic defense suite, based on that of the B-52H, which would be managed by the navigator.
The first of the DC-10B testbeds flew on 8 June 1981, and ran into problems. The aircraft handled sluggishly on takeoff—though at altitude it flew remarkably well—it was unstable, especially when the bomb bay doors were opened; altitude was less than that of the B-52 and its speed at maximum weight was less than hoped, which in turn also lowered its range. The latter could be solved through aerial refuelling, which had already been planned in the production version, but the DC-10B needed some work. The bay door problem was solved by the use of clamshell doors, but this only partially solved the stability problem, which was traced to the simple fact that the DC-10 had been designed to carry several tons of fuel, cargo, and passengers.
Predator Propulsion, which had joined the project in designing the tail barbette, provided the solution. It had been working on a ramjet design for a proposed reconnaissance UAV, and the company’s scientists proposed fitting one to the DC-10B. While ramjets are not very efficient below 100 mph, the rotation speed of a DC-10 is above that speed. By pumping fuel into the ramjet, it would give the DC-10B added thrust when needed, and as the bomber went faster, the ramjet became more efficient. MDD worried about adding weight to the tail, but the ramjet, since it lacked a fan, was actually lighter than the CF6-50 engines already fitted. One of the DC-10Bs was subsequently modified and test flown in October 1981, and found to be stable and easy to use; the only modification had been to add a reaction fuel tank in the tail, but this had the unintended consequence of helping stability. The higher thrust produced by the ramjet at high speeds did cause oscillation, so streamlined yaw dampeners were added to the sides of the engine. Because of this modification, the testbed was given the designation DC-10RS (Ramjet Special), which accidentally became the official designation of the aircraft—MDD had preferred using the designation B-10A, which the FIRAF had planned as well, but continuing use of the DC-10RS designation by test crews meant it would be the name that stuck.
With testing complete by February 1982, the FIRAF formally ordered 24 DC-10RS, with an option of 12 more; Canis felt that 36 aircraft, each capable of carrying 16 conventional or nuclear-tipped Tomahawks, would be a sufficient deterrent force. The first DC-10RS was accepted by the FIRAF in February 1983.
By 1987, the FIRAF had decided to gradually phase out the Dragon; while it had proven itself an excellent level bomber, it was deemed simply too vulnerable to survive. Work began on the B-3A Pterodactyl to replace it. MDD produced a further six DC-10RS in 1987 before the production line shut for good in September; these were among the last DC-10s produced, as MDD was already switching production to the MD-11. The Dragon was to have its swan song, however, with two squadrons deployed to RAF Fairford for operations against Iraq in 1991; for the first and only time in its career, the DC-10RS was to fire Tomahawks in anger. None were used in the conventional bombing role. After Desert Storm, the Dragon force was gradually drawn down, with the last leaving bomber service in February 1994.
(Back in the real world...)
When I started building models for my fictional "Free Intelani Air Force," getting a small 1/200 scale DC-10 airliner for conversion to a "DC-10RS" was easy. I cut down the tail engine to simulate the ramjet design (which some airline pilot friends of mine told me was indeed possible), and added some odds and ends to beef up the engine pod, as well as simulate the ECM suite on the forward fuselage. The end of a Matra rocket pod was used to simulate the rear turret, and I used a straw hat from a 1/35 scale Viet Cong figure for the bombing radar (which can't be seen in this picture). Throw on a military style camouflage scheme of two shades of gray over black for night operations, add a ghost motif on the tail for squadron art, and voila, one has the DC-10RS Dragon bomber.
This one was a lot of fun to build, and coming up with the history behind it even more so.
McDonnell Douglas DC-10RS Dragon
(The following is a fictional history of a fictional aircraft serving with a fictional air force...though at least the model is real.)
When the FIRAF was formed in 1974, Minister of Defense Akela Canis had no plans to acquire a bomber of any kind, save for strike aircraft like the F-105 Thunderchief or the Panavia Tornado. The small nation had no real need for a strategic bomber. However, groups in Congress disagreed, and Canis was overruled.
With Congress demanding a heavy bomber, Canis was forced to find a solution. He did, however, see some advantages to having a small heavy bomber force: as a veteran of Vietnam, Canis had seen firsthand the power projection ability of the B-52; having a “bomb truck” able to rain bombs onto a target might prove rather useful. It was suggested that the FIRAF procure the B-52D Stratofortress, which the USAF was planning to phase out; Canis demurred, citing the B-52D’s advanced age, while the Carter administration refused to sell it, as it would violate several arms-control treaties. With the B-52D unavailable and Canis’ only other alternative, acquiring the Avro Vulcan, also being refused by the UK, the only route left was for the FIRAF to develop its own design. The cost of such a program would be enormous and far beyond the FIRAF’s budget.
It was then that Canis heard of an abortive attempt by the USAF to replace the cancelled B-1 with an “off-the-shelf” conversion of the Boeing 747 into a massive cruise missile carrier. While converting an airliner to a bomber was not the best solution, it was the only one left. The FIRAF had already chosen the L-1011 for its tanker design, but program delays with the Tristar led Canis to approach McDonnell Douglas about converting the DC-10 into a bomber in June 1979. Canis expected to be flatly turned down or even laughed at, but instead, McDonnell Douglas reacted favorably. The reason was simple: the DC-10 program was in trouble, under attack from the media as being unsafe following the crash of American Airlines Flight 191, and even the USAF was feeling leery about the KC-10 Extender tanker. Canis’ initial proposal buy of 24 aircraft would help restore faith in the aircraft and give more orders to the beleaguered program.
Now that the political problems were solved, the question remained on how to convert the DC-10-30 airframe to that of a bomber. Through Intelani Airlines, two DC-10-30ERs were bought and built first as basic airliners, then gutted and rebuilt as DC-10Bs. This involved first the addition of weapons bays, plus hydraulic bay doors—two forward of the wing, and one aft of it. The basic cockpit of the DC-10-30 was retained, with a three-man crew, while a second compartment was added in what had been the first class section of the airliner, where the bombardier and navigator sat. The aircraft would be fitted with an attack suite based on that of the then-cancelled B-1A and built around the General Electric AN/APB-200 bomb radar, which was mounted in the aircraft’s belly. Finally, Canis insisted that some sort of defensive armament be placed on the DC-10B; a single M61A1 Vulcan 20mm gatling cannon was fitted in the tail below the engine. A gunner’s position was set in what had been the aft galley and restroom section of the DC-10-30; the gunner would control the gun via radar and a TV camera set below the cannon. The aircraft would also be fitted with a comphrensive electronic defense suite, based on that of the B-52H, which would be managed by the navigator.
The first of the DC-10B testbeds flew on 8 June 1981, and ran into problems. The aircraft handled sluggishly on takeoff—though at altitude it flew remarkably well—it was unstable, especially when the bomb bay doors were opened; altitude was less than that of the B-52 and its speed at maximum weight was less than hoped, which in turn also lowered its range. The latter could be solved through aerial refuelling, which had already been planned in the production version, but the DC-10B needed some work. The bay door problem was solved by the use of clamshell doors, but this only partially solved the stability problem, which was traced to the simple fact that the DC-10 had been designed to carry several tons of fuel, cargo, and passengers.
Predator Propulsion, which had joined the project in designing the tail barbette, provided the solution. It had been working on a ramjet design for a proposed reconnaissance UAV, and the company’s scientists proposed fitting one to the DC-10B. While ramjets are not very efficient below 100 mph, the rotation speed of a DC-10 is above that speed. By pumping fuel into the ramjet, it would give the DC-10B added thrust when needed, and as the bomber went faster, the ramjet became more efficient. MDD worried about adding weight to the tail, but the ramjet, since it lacked a fan, was actually lighter than the CF6-50 engines already fitted. One of the DC-10Bs was subsequently modified and test flown in October 1981, and found to be stable and easy to use; the only modification had been to add a reaction fuel tank in the tail, but this had the unintended consequence of helping stability. The higher thrust produced by the ramjet at high speeds did cause oscillation, so streamlined yaw dampeners were added to the sides of the engine. Because of this modification, the testbed was given the designation DC-10RS (Ramjet Special), which accidentally became the official designation of the aircraft—MDD had preferred using the designation B-10A, which the FIRAF had planned as well, but continuing use of the DC-10RS designation by test crews meant it would be the name that stuck.
With testing complete by February 1982, the FIRAF formally ordered 24 DC-10RS, with an option of 12 more; Canis felt that 36 aircraft, each capable of carrying 16 conventional or nuclear-tipped Tomahawks, would be a sufficient deterrent force. The first DC-10RS was accepted by the FIRAF in February 1983.
By 1987, the FIRAF had decided to gradually phase out the Dragon; while it had proven itself an excellent level bomber, it was deemed simply too vulnerable to survive. Work began on the B-3A Pterodactyl to replace it. MDD produced a further six DC-10RS in 1987 before the production line shut for good in September; these were among the last DC-10s produced, as MDD was already switching production to the MD-11. The Dragon was to have its swan song, however, with two squadrons deployed to RAF Fairford for operations against Iraq in 1991; for the first and only time in its career, the DC-10RS was to fire Tomahawks in anger. None were used in the conventional bombing role. After Desert Storm, the Dragon force was gradually drawn down, with the last leaving bomber service in February 1994.
(Back in the real world...)
When I started building models for my fictional "Free Intelani Air Force," getting a small 1/200 scale DC-10 airliner for conversion to a "DC-10RS" was easy. I cut down the tail engine to simulate the ramjet design (which some airline pilot friends of mine told me was indeed possible), and added some odds and ends to beef up the engine pod, as well as simulate the ECM suite on the forward fuselage. The end of a Matra rocket pod was used to simulate the rear turret, and I used a straw hat from a 1/35 scale Viet Cong figure for the bombing radar (which can't be seen in this picture). Throw on a military style camouflage scheme of two shades of gray over black for night operations, add a ghost motif on the tail for squadron art, and voila, one has the DC-10RS Dragon bomber.
This one was a lot of fun to build, and coming up with the history behind it even more so.