B-29 Superfortress with Ramjet Missile

The NACA’s Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory used a Boeing B‒29 Superfortress as a testbed for ramjet investigations in the late 1940s. Lewis researchers conducted a wide variety of studies on ramjets to determine basic the operational data necessary to design missiles. Extensive wind tunnel and test stand studies were augmented by actual flight tests.

Lewis engineers modified this B‒29 so that the ramjet could be stored in the bomb bay. Once the aircraft reached the desired altitude and speed, a mechanical arm suspended the ramjet 52 inches below the bomb bay. The ramjet’s angle-of-attack could be independently adjusted, and a periscope permitted a view of the test article from inside the aircraft. Researchers took measurements in free-stream conditions at speeds up to Mach 0.51 and at altitudes ranging from 5,000 to 30,000 feet. They then shut the ramjet down and retracted it into the aircraft.

The researchers first determined that 14,000 feet was the maximum altitude at which the engine could be ignited by spark. They used flares to start the engine at altitudes up to 30,000 feet. They were able to determine maximum combustion efficiencies, response time to changes in fuel flow, and minimum fuel-air ratios. Overall the ramjet operated well at all speeds and altitudes.