F + W N-20.10 Aiguillon

The aircraft appeared before the F-5 or the Mirage.The reason for not being taken into production was that the Swiss prefered the conventional Hawker Hunter

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I would think a four-engined fighter would have a rather high fuel consumption, thus severely limiting its range. The added mechanical complexity, especially with early-1950s jet engine technology, also meant a good chance of some kind of engine failure on each flight. It's a good thing Switzerland, being a small country with no military ambitions beyond its own borders, doesn't require much range for its fighters....

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Hi Fox,
there is no doubt that the N-20, had it ever reached series production, would have surprised the rest of the world. A deltawing aircraft with variable leading edge, a jettisonable and pressurized cockpit, head-up display and brake parachute was nowhere in sight.
The 4 engines, which were modified Armstrong Siddeley "Mamba" turbprop engines, had as another first, a fan and cold air afterburners. The exhaust could be reversed for added braking action. Take-off and landing were possible on grass runways and its weapon bay arrangement with quick change ammunition containers as well as rocket an bomb bay was unique.
Politics got in the way to complete this magnificent project.

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Hello Aero-Fox, Yes you are right the N-20.10 is a tailess 4 Engine Aircraft, to be precise it is a 4 Engiend 8 afterburner aircraft . every main engine feedet 2 reheater but not all air from the mainengin was feed to them on the back of a wing it had 6 "nozzles" The engins was a product from the Sulzer company. The N-20.10 had 2 in build canons it had a fast chanchable weapon belly , one belly with 4 30mm canons, or a belly with unguidet rockets (on 2 rotary launcher) or a belly with bombs or one with cameras and flairs.The N-20.10 had a ejection cokpit (like the F-111). Unfortunatly the engins of the Prototyp had not the guarenteed thrust.To build engines with enough power additional money of 3000000Fr over the budget would bee nececary. The goverment stopt the project. The goverment also refused to give permision for a flight even the workers of the N-20.10 had declared to take full responsabilety ,paying all fuel by theyer own and give theyer freetime for the maiden flight. today the N-20.10 is net to the FFA P-16 in the Air force Museum at Dübendorf AFB

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