Lockheed's Lost Supersonic Transport: A Lesson in Ambition Over Innovation
The Lockheed L-2000 was an American supersonic transport designed in the 1960s to compete with Concorde. The project began in June 1963, when President Kennedy committed the U.S. government to subsidizing 75% of its development.
Lockheed's design team worked tirelessly for eight years to develop a double-delta wing that would solve the problem of center of pressure at supersonic speeds. They eventually created a wing with a leading edge swept 80 degrees inboard and 60 degrees outboard, which generated powerful vortices and added lift at higher angles of attack.
The L-2000 was to be powered by four General Electric GE4 or Pratt & Whitney JTF17A turbojets, which would produce around 65,000 lbf with afterburner. The aircraft would also have a main undercarriage using the same tires as a Douglas DC-8, filled with nitrogen at lower pressures.
On December 31, 1966, the FAA chose Boeing's design over Lockheed's due to its greater ambition and risk-taking approach. However, this decision was short-lived, as Congress canceled the program in May 1971 due to funding cuts.