Unique Aircraft: The duPont DP-2, a Futuristic VTOL Boondoggle

Resembling a composite, modernized version of the 1950s-era Bell X-14, the duPont Aerospace DP-2 failed to deliver on lofty promises.

Jason McDowell

Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at 11:28 AM ET

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Resembling a composite, modernized version of the 1950s-era Bell X-14, the duPont Aerospace DP-1, the prototype for the DP-2 concept, is now displayed at the Classic Rotors Museum in Ramona, California. [Credit: Jason McDowell]

Key Takeaways:

The aviation industry has long pursued vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) jet capability, successfully achieving it in military aircraft but largely failing in civil aviation.
DuPont Aerospace attempted to develop a jet-powered VTOL aircraft (DP-2 concept, DP-1 demonstrator) for both military and civilian use, but faced skepticism and rejection from U.S. military branches and DARPA.
The DP-1 demonstrator featured an innovative control system using composite vanes and successfully achieved tethered, autonomous hovers meeting Navy requirements by 2007.
Despite technical progress and significant investment (over $63 million), the program was defunded by Congress in 2007, preventing the DP-1 from ever achieving untethered or forward flight.

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Since the dawn of the jet age, the aviation industry has pursued the holy grail of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability—an aircraft that can take off and land vertically, but also cruise at jet speeds. A few fighter/attack aircraft like the Harrier, Yak-38, and F-35B—as well as a number of similar experimental jets—have successfully achieved the goal. In the 1960s, Dornier even built two experimental VTOL cargo jets that successfully flew.

Beyond heavily-funded government/military programs, however, VTOL jets have eluded civil aviation. But as demonstrated by the duPont Aerospace DP-1, it hasn’t been for a lack of trying.