1950s INSANE VTOL Jet Fighter - Lockheed CL-346

Discord: This lockheed concept jet can not only fly at Mach 2.2, but land vertically using 1950s engine technology. It would have been able to fly longer ranges, intercept enemy bombers and even deliver an atomic payload. But it never made it off the drawing board and was considered too advanced for its time, This is the story of the never-built, mysterious, CL-346. One of the challenges that air forces around the globe faced during world war two, was that there needed to be an airstrip long enough to launch aircraft and close enough to enemy targets. Capturing islands was a priority, as they could hold as many aircraft as needed, or act as refueling stops from the mainland. But some places in the world there was no land to build long runways. Thus in turn the military built aircraft carriers that could at launch aircraft at sea - but there were limitations to aircraft design. the solution? A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is one that can hover, take off, an