To meet a US Air Force requirement for an 'off-the-shelf' high-performance light transport, Lockheed developed the Lockheed 1329 JetStar. A clean low-wing monoplane with swept wings and swept tail surfaces, the JetStar was powered in prototype form by two 2200kg thrust Bristol Orpheus 1/5 turbojet engines. The first of two prototypes was flown on 4 September 1957, with flight testing proving satisfactory, but when planned licence-production of the Orpheus engine could not be finalised, Lockheed chose instead to power the initial production version by four 1361kg thrust Pratt & Whitney JT12A-6 engines, mounted in pairs on each side of the rear fuselage. The anticipated military demand failed to materialise in any significant numbers, with the result that the majority of the 204 JetStars that were built, before production ended in 1980, were sold as business/executive aircraft.

Variants:

JetStar I: original production version, differing from the first prototype by having increased fuel capacity provided by a permanently attached streamlined JuelI tank at mid-span of each wing, de-icing of wing and tail unit leading edges and Pratt & Whitney JT12A-6 engines; a slightly lengthened fuselage provided executive standard accommodation for a crew of two and 10 passengers; late production aircraft had 1497kg thrust JT12A-8 turbojet engines

JetStar 731: conversion developed by AirResearch, replacing the Pratt & Whitney powerplants of Jet Star I aircraft with more fuel-efficient Garret TFE731-1 turbofan engines; about 60 JetStar Is were converted to this standard

JetStar II: new production version incorporating Garrett TFE731-3 engines as standard and a number of refinements

C-140A: five aircraft for USAF, basically similar to early production JetStar Is and equipped for calibration of navigation beacons

C-140B: convertible cargo/passenger version for USAF, five built; otherwise generally similar to C-140A

VC-140B: designation of six additional production aircraft, generally similar to C-140A, except equipped as VIP transports; the five C-140Bs were also converted to this configuration

3-View

A three-view drawing of Lockheed Jetstar II (1280 x 762)