The Fizzled-Out Promise of the Lockheed ‘Flatbed’

The concept aircraft would utilize an open platform and various modules to carry a wide variety of loads ranging from military equipment to passengers.

Jason McDowell

Tuesday, September 19, 2023 at 12:14 PM ET

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Unconventional in many respects, an initial study found the Lockheed ‘Flatbed’ concept both technically and economically feasible. [Credit: Lockheed]

Key Takeaways:

The Lockheed "Flatbed" was a 1980 concept for a highly versatile transport aircraft designed to combine passenger, general cargo, and outsized cargo capabilities.
It featured an open platform for carrying large, unsheltered military equipment and a modular design with a hinged nose for rapid loading and unloading of various cargo and passenger pods.
Despite challenges like increased drag when transporting external cargo, a joint Lockheed/NASA study found the concept technically and economically feasible, though it never progressed beyond this initial evaluation.

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In 1980, a small team of engineers from Lockheed explored a bizarre concept, the likes of which had never been studied before.

The group recognized that the transport aircraft category traditionally comprised three separate subcategories—passenger, cargo, and outsized cargo. It then created a concept that would combine all three. Aptly called the “Flatbed,” the concept aircraft would utilize an open platform and various modules to carry a wide variety of loads ranging from military equipment to passengers.