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Parasite aircraft

A parasite aircraft is a component of a composite aircraft which is carried aloft and air launched by a larger carrier aircraft or mother ship to support the primary mission of the carrier. The carrier craft may or may not be able to later recover the parasite during flight.

The first parasite aircraft flew in 1916, when the British launched a Bristol Scout from a Felixstowe Porte Baby flying boat. The idea eventually developed into jet bombers carrying fully capable parasite fighters. With the advent of long-range fighters equipped with air-to-air missiles, and aerial refueling, parasite fighters fell out of use.

Drone motherships[edit]

As of 2014, DARPA is working on a project to launch and recover unmanned aerial vehicles from larger aircraft.[9]

A was flown from a Porte Baby to become the first parasite aircraft (1916)

Bristol Scout

An was flown from L 35 (LZ 80) to become the first parasite fighter flying from an airship (January 26, 1918)

Albatros D.III

A was flown from airship HMA 23 (1918)

Sopwith Camel

A biplane was launched and recovered by non-rigid airships Tc-3 and Tc-7 (1923)

Sperry Messenger

Several monoplanes were launched and recovered by airship R33 (1924), followed by two Gloster Grebe fighters (1925).

DH 53 Hummingbird

A glider and a biplane were recovered by the . These were followed by the F9C Sparrowhawk escort fighter which flew operationally from USS Akron and Macon (1935).

USS Los Angeles

Rocket plane on the Mitsubishi G4M.

Ohka

composite used for transatlantic mail (1937).

Short S.20 and Short S.21

The modified into a dive bomber carrying two 250 kg bombs (variant TsKB-29), flown from a Tupolev TB-3 as the Zveno-SPB ("composite dive bomber"), was the first parasite aircraft to see combat (1941)

Polikarpov I-16

The escort fighter was intended to fly from the Dornier Do 217/Heinkel He 274, but this was unsuccessful due to engine problems.

Messerschmitt Me 328

The was an attempt to equip B-36 bombers with their own escort fighters (1948)

XF-85 Goblin

The was a more successful attempt to provide the B-36 with a parasite escort fighter in the FICON project (1952)

RF-84K

Examples that have flown include:

Parasite aircraft in popular culture[edit]

In the 1957 Jet Pilot movie, featuring John Wayne, parasite fighters are an important part of the plot.


The 1989 movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, a Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann biplane is stolen by Indy and his father to escape the zeppelin.

HM Airship 23r with underslung Sopwith Camel in 1918.

HM Airship 23r with underslung Sopwith Camel in 1918.

R33 with Gloster Grebe fighters in 1926.

R33 with Gloster Grebe fighters in 1926.

F9C Sparrowhawk inside Akron's hangar.

F9C Sparrowhawk inside Akron's hangar.

F9C Sparrowhawk successfully hooks on to Akron trapeze, May 1932.

F9C Sparrowhawk successfully hooks on to Akron trapeze, May 1932.

Boeing EB-29 with recovery trapeze deployed for FIghter CONveyer (FICON) trials with McDonnell XF-85 Goblin parasite fighter, seen at bottom

Boeing EB-29 with recovery trapeze deployed for FIghter CONveyer (FICON) trials with McDonnell XF-85 Goblin parasite fighter, seen at bottom

A Republic F-84E on FICON trapeze

A Republic F-84E on FICON trapeze

Project Tom Tom: Boeing B-50 with Republic F-84 Thunderjet

Project Tom Tom: Boeing B-50 with Republic F-84 Thunderjet

Model of an Arado Ar 234 V21 carrying an Arado E.381 at the Technikmuseum Speyer

Model of an Arado Ar 234 V21 carrying an Arado E.381 at the Technikmuseum Speyer

The USS Los Angeles in flight with attached fighter

The USS Los Angeles in flight with attached fighter

Project Gremlin of DARPA

Project Gremlin of DARPA

– German World War II project in which a piloted fighter aimed, then released, a pilotless ("bunker-buster") bomber with an explosive warhead in its nose

Mistel

Hallstead, William F. (2001). "Parasite Aircraft". Aviation History. 12 (2): 38–45.  1076-8858.

ISSN

Lesnitchenko, Vladimir (November–December 1999). "Combat Composites: Soviet Use of 'Mother-ships' to Carry Fighters, 1939–1941". Air Enthusiast (84): 4–21.  0143-5450.

ISSN

Pre World War II Russian parasite fighters

pictures of parasites

Recent article advocating parasite aircraft

Video including XF-85 Goblin in flight and FICON aircraft

Goebel, Greg (August 1, 2011). .

"The Parasite Fighters"