Coléoptère: A Plane Without Wings Was Scrapped After 9 Flights
Coléoptère: A Plane Without Wings Was Scrapped After 9 Flights

Plane Without Wings

In the late 1950’s French aerospace firm SNECMA developed a highly unconventional tail-sitting vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft with an annular wing.

The C.450 Coléoptère would be unlike any aircraft in the world. Unlike conventional airplanes, the Coléoptère would rest on its tail and use engine power alone to lift off the ground before transitioning to vertical flight, returning to land vertically once again on its tail. Its cylindrical wing promised greater efficiency over a conventional wing by eliminating wing-tip vortices. It would also be more compact, further reducing the space needed for vertical take-off and landings.