Rocketdyne AR2 explained

The Rocketdyne AR2, also known by the military designation LR42, was a family of liquid-fuelled rocket engines designed and produced in the United States (US) during the 1950s and 1960s.

Design and development

The Rocketdyne division of North American Aviation developed a relatively small liquid-fuelled rocket engine for thrust augmentation of manned aircraft during the late 1950s. The AR2 is a single-chamber rocket engine burning kerosene (JP-4 or JP-5) jet fuel, oxidised with 90% High Test Peroxide (H2O2 / HTP), allowing the engine to use the same fuel as an aircraft fuel system.[1] The variable-thrust AR2 is a direct development of the fixed thrust AR1, which was given the military designation LR36.

The AR2-3 had variable-thrust and single lever throttle control, regulating flow of oxidiser to the turbo-pump gas-generator and thus flow of propellants to the combustion chamber.[1]

Operational history

Initial flight trials were carried out attached to the belly of North American F-86F-30-NA Sabre (52-4608 / FU-608) re-designated F-86F(R), boosting performance to a top speed of M1.22 at .[2]

The AR2-3 was evaluated in 1999 as part of the Future-X Demonstrator Engine project, for possible use in the Boeing X-37 Reusable Upper Stage Vehicle at a thrust of, with a specific impulse of 245 seconds.[3] [4]

Variants

AR-1: (YLR36-NA-2) Initial fixed-thrust variant.[5]
  • AR2-1: (YLR42-NA-2) prototype, test and development variable-thrust engines.[6] [5]
  • AR2-2:test and development engines.[6]
  • AR2-3:Production engines for research and development projects like the NF-104A.[7]

    • Applications

    Notes and References

    1. Book: Wilkinson, Paul H. . Aircraft engines of the World 1964/65 . 1964 . Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons Ltd. . London . 20th . 40.
    2. Web site: North American F-86F-30-NA Sabre. (sn 52-4608)-Rocket-assisted take-off . Alamy . 15 December 2019 . en . 15 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191215115645/https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-north-american-f-86f-30-na-sabre-sn-52-4608-rocket-assisted-take-off-177016577.html . dead .
    3. Web site: AR2-3 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161228031747/http://astronautix.com/a/ar2-3.html . dead . December 28, 2016 . www.astronautix.com . 15 December 2019.
    4. Web site: Peroxide (H2O2) test programs : AR2-3 flight certification . National Aeronautics and Space Administration . NASA . 15 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110721053057/http://sscfreedom.ssc.nasa.gov/etd/ETDPropulsionSS_H2O2AR23.asp . 21 July 2011 . dead . 24 July 2009.
    5. Book: Wilkinson, Paul H. . Aircraft engines of the World 1966/67 . 1966 . Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons Ltd. . London . 22nd . 38.
    6. Book: Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1959-60 . Bridgman . Leonard . 1959 . Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd . London .
    7. Book: Wilkinson, Paul H. . Aircraft engines of the World 1966/67 . 1966 . Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons Ltd. . London . 22nd .

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