That the U.S. Air Force once seriously toyed with flying saucers is relatively well known. These machines, called Avrocars, contained giant lifting fans to raise them off the ground.
It is less well known is that the concept did not die when funding for the project was withdrawn in 1961. Indeed, a lifting fan is a key component of the Lockheed Martin X-35B Lightning II that helps it off the ground during short take offs and vertical landings.
Today, Desire Francine Fedrigo, an independent writer based in Brazil, and a few pals provide a potted history of the Avrocar and how it came to be a forerunner to the F-35B.
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