{{Short description|Small plane aboard an airborne carrier}} [[File:F-84E FICON.jpg|thumb|300px|An [[F-84 Thunderjet]] hooked on a [[FICON project|FICON]] trapeze beneath its mother ship]]
A '''parasite aircraft''' is a component of a [[composite aircraft]] which is carried aloft and [[air launch]]ed 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 [[United Kingdom|British]] launched a [[Bristol Scout]] from a [[Felixstowe Porte Baby]] [[flying boat]]. The idea eventually developed into jet [[bomber]]s carrying fully capable parasite fighters. With the advent of long-range fighters equipped with [[Air-to-air missile|air-to-air missiles]], and [[aerial refueling]], parasite fighters fell out of use.
== Parasite fighters == [[File:Bristol Scout on Felixstowe Porte Baby first composite aircraft 1916.jpg|thumb|right|[[Bristol Scout]] on [[Porte Baby]]]]
Until the middle of the 20th century there was military interest in parasite fighters – fighter aircraft intended to be carried into a combat zone by a larger aircraft, such as a [[bomber aircraft|bomber]]. If the bomber were threatened, the parasite would be released to defend it. Parasite fighters have never been highly successful and have seldom been used in combat. A major disadvantage of a parasite aircraft was that it reduced the payload capacity of the carrier aircraft. Projects for this type were designed to overcome the great disparity in range between bombers and their [[escort fighter]]s. Development of [[aerial refueling]] has made parasite fighters obsolete.
=== 1910s === The first parasite fighters were launched and recovered from trapezes mounted externally to military [[airship]]s. In 1915 [[Neville Usborne]] and another British officer worked on a plan to lift a [[BE.2]]C fighter under an [[SS class airship|SS-class]] non-rigid airship. This would allow the fighter to reach the height of a raiding Zeppelin rapidly while also conserving fuel. In the first experimental flight on 21 February 1916, the envelope lost pressure and the plane was prematurely separated from it at 4,000 feet. Both officers were killed and there was no further experimentation with small airships.<ref name=CompositeHistory>H. J. C Harper [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1937/1937%20-%203094.html "Composite History" ] ''Flight'' 1 November 1937</ref>
In May 1916 a [[Bristol Scout]] flown by Flt. Lt. M. J. Day was mounted above the top wing of a [[Felixstowe Porte Baby|Porte Baby]] flying boat flown by Sqn. Ldr [[John Cyril Porte]], and was successfully released at a height of 1000 ft (300 m). Although successful, the scheme, intended to provide long-range defence against [[Zeppelin]]s, was not pursued.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1955/1955%20-%201726.html|journal=[[Flight International|Flight]]|date=2 December 1955|title=The Felixstowe Flying Boats }}</ref> [[File:HMA R 23 Airship With Camel N6814.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Sopwith Camel|Sopwith 2F.1 Camel]] secured under the British [[23-class airship#23r|HM Airship 23r]]]] In 1918 the [[Royal Air Force]] experimented with launching [[Sopwith Camel]] fighters from [[23-class airship|HM Airship 23]].<ref name=CompositeHistory/>
The Germans also experimented with the idea, suspending an [[Albatros D.III]] fighter aeroplane below a Zeppelin and releasing it at altitude: the intention was to use the aeroplane to defend airships against the British seaplane patrols encountered over the North Sea. Although the single trial, made on 25 January 1918, was successful the experiments were not continued.<ref>{{cite book|author=Robinson, Douglas H.|title=The Zeppelin in Combat |location=Henley-on Thames|publisher=Foulis|year=1971|edition= 3rd | isbn=0-85429-130-X|pages= 246–7}}</ref>
On 12 December 1918, in a test to determine the feasibility of carrying fighter aircraft on dirigibles, the airship [[C-class blimp|C-1]] lifted a US Army [[Curtiss JN-4]] aircraft to 2,500 feet over [[Fort Tilden]], New York, and at that height released it for a free flight back to base. The airship was piloted by Lieutenant George Crompton, Dirigible Officer at NAS Rockaway, and the airplane by Lieutenant A. W. Redfield, USA, commander of the 52nd Aero Squadron based at [[Roosevelt Field (airport)|Mineola]] (Long Island, NY).
=== 1920s === The British [[Imperial Airship Scheme]] of 1924 envisaged a commercial airship that could also carry five fighter aircraft if put into military use, but this requirement was abandoned.<ref>[http://www.aht.ndirect.co.uk/airships/imperial/index.html Imperial Airship Service], The Airship Heritage Trust. Accessed 10 June 2009.</ref> In [[1925 in aviation|1925]] first the [[de Havilland Humming Bird|DH.53]] light aeroplane and then [[Gloster Grebe]]s had been launched from the airship [[R33 class airship|R.33]].<ref name=CompositeHistory/>
=== 1930s === [[File:F9C-2 Sparrowhawk fighter.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk]] attached by a "skyhook" to [[USS Macon (ZRS-5)|USS ''Macon'']]]] In 1930, the US Navy airship {{USS|Los Angeles|ZR-3|6}} was used to test the trapeze system developed to launch and recover fixed wing aircraft from rigid airships.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=iuIDAAAAMBAJ&dq=Popular+Science+1930+plane+%22Popular+Mechanics%22&pg=PA182 "Plane Hitched To Dirigible by Hook in Flight."] ''Popular Mechanics'', August 1930.</ref> The tests were a success, and the newly built Navy airships {{USS|Akron|ZRS-4|6}} and {{USS|Macon|ZRS-5|6}} were designed to carry parasite aircraft inside a hangar bay within the hull. Each airship could carry up to five single-seat [[Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk]]s for scouting or two-seat [[Fleet Model 1|Fleet N2Y-1s]] for training. In 1934, two two-seat [[Waco Aircraft Company|Waco UBF XJW-1]] biplanes equipped with skyhooks were delivered to the [[USS Macon (ZRS-5)|USS ''Macon'']].
The temporary system was removed from the ''Los Angeles'', which never carried any aircraft on operational flights.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=UigDAAAAMBAJ&dq=Popular+Science+1931+plane&pg=PA51 "Big Changes Give Giants Of The Air Far Wider Range."] ''Popular Science,'' September 1930; rare photos in article.</ref> In 1930, the ''Los Angeles'' also tested the launching of a [[Glider (aircraft)|glider]] over [[Lakehurst, New Jersey]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=TuQDAAAAMBAJ&dq=Popular+Science+1930+plane+%22Popular+Mechanics%22&pg=PA528 "Dirigible Launches Glider."] ''Popular Mechanics'', April 1930.</ref>
Although operations of these parasite aircraft were quite successful, the accidental loss of the ''Akron'' in 1933 and the ''Macon'' in 1935, ended the program.
The first bombers to carry parasite fighters did so as part of the [[Zveno project|Zveno experiments]] carried out in the [[Soviet Union]] by [[Vladimir Vakhmistrov]] from 1931. Up to five fighters of various types were carried by [[Tupolev TB-1]] and [[Tupolev TB-3]] bombers.
=== 1940s === In August 1941, these combinations would fly the only combat missions ever undertaken by parasite fighters. TB-3s carrying Polikarpov [[Polikarpov I-16|I-16SPB]] [[dive bomber]]s attacked the [[King Carol I Bridge|Cernavodă bridge]] and [[Constantsa]] docks, in [[Romania]]. After that, this squadron, based in the Crimea, carried out a tactical attack on a bridge over the river [[Dnieper]] at [[Zaporizhia|Zaporozhye]], which had been captured by advancing German troops.<ref>Lesnitchenko, Vladimir ''Combat Composites: Soviet Use of 'Mother-Ships' to Carry Fighters, 1931-1941'' [[Air Enthusiast]] No.84 November/December 1999 pp. 4-21</ref>
Later in [[World War II]], the ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' experimented with the [[Messerschmitt Me 328]] as a parasite fighter, but problems with its [[pulsejet]] engines could not be overcome. Other late-war [[rocket]]-powered projects such as the [[Arado E.381]] and [[Sombold So 344]] never left the experimental stage. By contrast, the [[Empire of Japan]] was able to get the [[Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka]] [[kamikaze]] rocket plane type into active service, typically using the [[Mitsubishi G4M]] (Betty) bomber class to carry them within range. However, their effectiveness proved minimal in part because Allied air naval defense took advantage of the weight of the parasitical aircraft payload slowing the carrying bombers, making them vulnerable to interception before the rocket plane could launch.<ref>https://www.nevingtonwarmuseum.com/german-emergency-fighter-program.html</ref>
=== 1950s === During the early years of the [[Cold War]], the [[United States Air Force]] experimented with a variety of parasite fighters to protect its [[Convair B-36]] bombers, including the dedicated [[XF-85 Goblin]], and methods of either carrying a [[Republic F-84 Thunderjet]] in the bomber's bomb bay (the [[FICON project]]), or attached to the bomber's wingtips ([[FICON project#Project Tom-Tom|Project Tom-Tom]]). One configuration studied for the XF-85/B-36 combination was for a B-36 to drop the XF-85 for a dash across enemy territory for bombing or reconnaissance and for the pilot to hook onto a different B-36 on the other side of the enemy territory. These projects were all soon abandoned, partly because [[aerial refueling]] appeared as a much safer solution to extend the range of fighters.
== Drone motherships == {{As of|2014}}, [[DARPA]] was working on a project to launch and recover [[unmanned aerial vehicle]]s from larger aircraft.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pentagon seeks aircraft-based drones for future missions |last=Locker |first=Ray |work=[[USA Today]] |date=10 November 2014 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/nation/2014/11/10/aircraft-based-drones-sought-by-pentagon/18779017/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=10 November 2014}}</ref>
== Examples == Examples that have flown include: * A [[Bristol Scout]] was flown from a [[Felixstowe Porte Baby|Porte Baby]] to become the first parasite aircraft (1916) * An [[Albatros D.III]] was flown from [[List of Zeppelins|''L 35'' (LZ 80)]] to become the first parasite fighter flying from an airship (January 26, 1918) * A [[Sopwith Camel]] was flown from airship [[HMA 23]] (1918) * A [[Sperry Messenger]] biplane was launched and recovered by [[non-rigid airships]] [[Tc-3]] and Tc-7 (1923) * Several [[DH 53 Hummingbird]] monoplanes were launched and recovered by airship [[R33 class airship|''R33'']] (1924), followed by two [[Gloster Grebe]] fighters (1925). * A glider and a biplane were recovered by the [[USS Los Angeles (ZR-3)|USS ''Los Angeles'']]. These were followed by the [[F9C Sparrowhawk]] escort fighter which flew operationally from [[USS Akron (ZRS-4)|USS ''Akron'']] and ''[[USS Macon (ZRS-5)|Macon]]'' (1935). <!-- to await identification of aircraft type * [[LZ 129 Hindenburg|LZ 129 ''Hindenburg'']] had trials using parasite aircraft in the days before it crashed at Lakehurst, but the trial proved unsuccessful as the plane hit the trapeze on its hull. --> * [[Ohka]] Rocket plane on the [[Mitsubishi G4M]]. * [[Short_Mayo_Composite | Short S.20 and Short S.21]] composite used for transatlantic mail (1937). * The [[Polikarpov I-16]] modified into a dive bomber carrying two 250 kg bombs (variant TsKB-29), flown from a [[Tupolev TB-3]] as the [[Zveno project|Zveno-SPB]] ("composite dive bomber"), was the first parasite aircraft to see combat (1941) * The [[Messerschmitt Me 328]] escort fighter was intended to fly from the [[Dornier Do 217]]/[[Heinkel He 274]], but this was unsuccessful due to engine problems. * The [[XF-85 Goblin]] was an attempt to equip [[Convair B-36|B-36]] [[bomber]]s with their own escort fighters, it was also the smallest plane to ever been flown in the airforce (1948) * The [[RF-84K]] was a more successful attempt to provide the B-36 with a parasite escort fighter in the [[FICON project]] (1952)
== Parasite aircraft in popular culture == * In the 1957 film ''[[Jet Pilot (film)|Jet Pilot]]'', starring [[John Wayne]], parasite fighters are an important part of the plot. * In the 1989 film ''[[Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade]]'', a [[Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann]] biplane is stolen by Indy and his father to escape a [[Zeppelin]].
==Gallery== <gallery mode=packed> File:R23WithSopwithCamelWWI.jpg|[[23 class airship#23r|HM Airship 23r]] with underslung [[Sopwith Camel]] in 1918. File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-12878, Englisches Marineluftschiff R33.jpg|[[R33 class airship|R33]] with [[Gloster Grebe]] fighters in 1926. File:F9C in USS Akron hangar1932.jpg|[[F9C Sparrowhawk]] inside ''Akron''{{'}}s hangar. File:XF9C 1 aircraft hooking onto USS Akron, May 1932.jpg|[[F9C Sparrowhawk]] successfully hooks on to ''Akron'' trapeze, May 1932. File:EB-29 FICON trial.jpg|Boeing EB-29 with recovery trapeze deployed for FIghter CONveyer (FICON) trials with McDonnell XF-85 Goblin parasite fighter, seen at bottom File:F-84E FICON.jpg|A Republic F-84E on [[FICON project|FICON]] trapeze File:Boeing B-29 TomTom.jpg|EB-29A docked wingtip-to-wingtip with two EF-84Ds in Project Tip-Tow File:Arado-234 V21 pic1.JPG|Model of an [[Arado Ar 234]] V21 carrying an [[Arado E.381]] at the [[Technikmuseum Speyer]] File:USS Los Angeles ZR-3 (15323626075) (cropped).jpg|The [[USS Los Angeles (ZR-3)|USS Los Angeles]] in flight with attached fighter File:Gremlin drone DARPA.png|Project ''Gremlin'' of DARPA </gallery>
== See also == * [[Index of aviation articles]] * [[Mistel]] – 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
== Notes == {{reflist}}
==Bibliography== *{{cite journal |first=William F. |last=Hallstead |year=2001 |title=Parasite Aircraft |journal=Aviation History |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=38–45 |issn=1076-8858}} *{{cite journal |last1=Lesnitchenko|first1=Vladimir|title=Combat Composites: Soviet Use of 'Mother-ships' to Carry Fighters, 1939–1941 |journal=Air Enthusiast |date=November–December 1999|issue=84|pages=4–21 |issn=0143-5450}}
==External links== {{commons category|Parasite aircraft}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070203191515/http://aeroweb.lucia.it/rap/RAFAQ/Zveno.html Pre World War II Russian parasite fighters] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20091027072156/http://www.geocities.com/usarmyaviationdigest/airborneaircraftcarriers.htm pictures of parasites] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070206084642/http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj05/sum05/kramlinger.html Recent article advocating parasite aircraft] *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7gdbCVu3_M Video including XF-85 Goblin in flight and FICON aircraft] *{{cite web |first=Greg |last=Goebel |date=August 1, 2011 |title=The Parasite Fighters |url=http://www.vectorsite.net/avparsit.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091103094741/http://www.vectorsite.net/avparsit.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=November 3, 2009}}
[[Category:Parasite aircraft| ]]