The biggest flying aircraft carrier proposed by the US military was the Lockheed CL-1201, a truly gargantuan concept from the late 1960s.
Here’s why it stands out:
- Immense Size: It was designed with a staggering 1,120-foot wingspan (over twice the length of a Boeing 747 and wider than the Chrysler Building is tall!) and a length of 560 feet.
- Nuclear Powered: The CL-1201 was envisioned as a nuclear-powered aircraft, giving it an estimated endurance of 41 days of continuous flight, limited only by crew endurance.
- Carrier Capacity: It was intended to carry a complement of 22 to 24 F-4 Phantom II fighter aircraft, with some housed in internal hangars and others docked under its massive wings.
- Massive Crew: The concept called for a crew of anywhere between 400 to 845 people.
- VTOL Capability: One variant of the CL-1201 was even studied with 182 vertical turbofans to provide Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) capabilities.
- Purpose: The idea was to provide power projection capabilities in regions where traditional naval or land-based air forces might be challenged, offering a highly mobile and self-sustaining air base.
While fascinating, the CL-1201 faced immense practical challenges, including the colossal cost, the lack of materials capable of handling its proposed weight and stresses, and the inherent risks associated with a nuclear reactor in a flying vehicle. As a result, it remained a visionary concept that never moved beyond the design study phase