Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Fouga CM.88 Gemeaux

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Top speed
  
401 km/h

Length
  
6.67 m

First flight
  
1951

Wingspan
  
11 m

Engine type
  
Turbomeca Marboré

Manufacturer
  
Fouga

Fouga CM.88 Gemeaux wwwairwarruimageidopxplanecm88cm882gif

The Fouga CM.88 Gemeaux was a 1950s French engine test-bed aircraft produced by Fouga. An unusual aircraft as it was two aircraft joined by a common wing.

Contents

Design and development

To meet a requirement to use as an engined testbed for Turbomeca turbojets, Fouga combined two CM.8 fuselages. It used the port and starboard outerwings with a new wing centre section to join the two fuselages. The V-tails fitted to each fuselage were joined at the top in a W configuration. The type was designated the Fouga CM.88-R Gemeaux I and first flew 6 March 1951, it was fitted with two Turbomeca Piméné turbojets, one on top of each fuselage. Further variants were produced as the engine fit was changed.

Variants

Gemeaux I
Original configuration with two 220 lb (100 kg) Turbomeca Piméné turbojet engines, first flown 6 March 1951.
Gemeaux II
Designation when powered by one 606 lb (275 kg) Turbomeca Marboré I turbojet engine, first flown 16 June 1951.
Gemeaux III
Designation when powered by one prototype 772 lb (350 kg) thrust Turbomeca Marboré II turbojet engine and first flown on 24 August 1951. A production version of the engine with 882 lb (400 kg) thrust was flown on 2 January 1952.
Gemeaux IV
Designation when powered by one 441 lb (200 kg) thrust Turbomeca Aspin I turbofan engine, first flown on 6 November 1951.
Gemeaux V
Final designation when powered by one 794 lb (360 kg) thrust Turbomeca Aspin II turbofan engine, first flown on 21 June 1952.

Specifications (Gemeaux III)

General characteristics

  • Length: 21 ft 10½ in (6.66 m)
  • Wingspan: 35 ft 3½ in (10.76 m)
  • Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
  • Wing area: 137.78 ft² (12.80 m²)
  • Empty weight: 1,962 lb (890 kg)
  • Max. takeoff weight: 2,579 lb (1170 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Turbomeca Marboré II turbojet, 882 lb (400 kg)

    • Performance

  • Maximum speed: 249 mph (400 km/h)
  • Service ceiling: 32,810 ft (10000 m)

    • References

    Fouga CM.88 Gemeaux Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA