50 Strangest Aircraft Ever Made

BRyan XV-5 Vertifan

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This aircraft is the Ryan XV-5 Vertifan. The United States Army requested it in 1961. The aircraft used a General Electric J85-GE-5 turbojets plus General Electric X353-5 Lift-fans for the wings. The manufacturer, Ryan Aeronautical, even had a fan in the nose that used engine exhaust gas to power it. The fans helped the aircraft perform Vertical Take-Off and Landing. While the ducted lift fans proved successful, the project had fatal incidents, which led to the XV-5’s cancelation. However, the fans were not the issue, and the military incorporated the concept in future aircraft.