The tiny jet designed to live inside a bomber's bomb bay

Wars & Conflicts · Published 9 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: During World War II, long-range bombers faced a dangerous dilemma: how to defend themselves without the massive range required for escort fighters. The solution was the McDonnell XF-85 Goblin, a diminutive 'parasite fighter' designed to be carried inside a bomber and launched mid-flight to hunt enemy interceptors.

The XF-85 Goblin was born from a specific strategic need. As the United States Army Air Forces developed massive, long-range bombers like the B-36, existing escort fighters lacked the range to protect them. While aerial refueling was considered too risky and technologically difficult at the time, the concept of a 'parasite fighter'—an aircraft carried by a larger 'mother ship'—offered a potential solution.

McDonnell's design was highly specialized for its cramped environment. To fit within a bomb bay, the XF-85 featured a distinctive potato-shaped fuselage and wings that could fold at a 37° angle. To save weight, the aircraft lacked landing gear, relying instead on a fixed steel skid and spring-steel runners for emergency belly landings on dry lake beds like Muroc Field.

Testing in 1948 revealed the extreme difficulty of the concept. Test pilot Edwin Foresman Schoch struggled with the intense turbulence and the 'air cushion' created between the two aircraft during docking attempts. On one occasion, a violent collision with the trapeze smashed the canopy and tore off Schoch's helmet and mask. Despite modifications to the aerodynamics and the docking trapeze, the XF-85's performance was inferior to the jet fighters it was meant to fight. The United States Air Force ultimately canceled the program on October 24, 1949.

The concept of parasite fighters was not new; it had roots in 1918 with the Royal Air Force and was used operationally by the U.S. Navy with the Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk. However, the XF-85 remains a unique chapter in aviation history, representing a radical attempt to solve the problem of bomber defense through unconventional, integrated flight.

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