The XF-85 Goblin was designed to be a parasite fighter for the Convair B-36 bombers.

A parasite fighter is a fighter aircraft intended to be carried into a combat zone by a larger aircraft, such as a bomber. If the bomber were threatened, it would be able to release the parasite to defend itself. Parasite fighters have never been highly successful and have seldom been used in actual combat. Projects for this type were designed to overcome the massive disparity in range between bombers and their escort fighters. Apart from the fact that none of these schemes worked particularly well, aerial refuelling has done away with the need for such schemes. XF-85 Goblin File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... XF-85 Goblin File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The McDonnell XF-85 Goblin was a fighter aircraft, conceived during World War II and intended to be carried in the bomb bay of the giant Convair B-36 bomber as a defensive parasite fighter. ... A Convair B-36D in flight The Convair (Consolidated Vultee) B-36 was a strategic bomber operated almost entirely by the United States Air Force. ... A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for attacking other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ... A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ... Aerial refueling, also called in-flight refueling (IFR) or air-to-air refueling (AAR), is the practice of transferring fuel from one aircraft to another during flight. ...

The first parasite fighters were carried aboard military airships. As early as 1918, the Royal Air Force launched Sopwith Camel fighters from HMA 23, and tried again with Gloster Grebes on the R.33 in 1925. The Imperial Airship scheme envisaged an airship carrying 5 fighter aircraft but the scheme died with the loss of the R101. In the following decade, two U.S. Navy airships, the USS Akron and USS Macon were built with parasite fighter carrying capabilities designed into them from the start. Although operations with F9C Sparrowhawks were quite successful, the loss of both airships in crashes put an end to this programme. Akron in flight, 2 November 1931 An airship is a buoyant aircraft that can be steered and propelled through the air. ... 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the UK Armed Forces. ... The Sopwith Camel was a British World War I single-seat fighter aircraft that was famous for its manoeuverability. ... Developed from a two seat trainer, the Gloster Grouse, Glosters Grebe was the Royal Air Forces first post World War I fighter, entering service in 1923. ... 1925 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... R101 at the mast at Cardington View from the air of the crash site. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... USS Akron (ZRS-4) was a rigid airship of the United States Navy. ... USS Macon (ZRS-5) was a rigid frame airship built and operated by the United States Navy and designated for scouting purposes. ... The Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk was a light biplane fighter aircraft that was carried by the United States Navy airships USS Akron and USS Macon. ...

The first bombers to carry parasite fighters did so as part of experiments carried out in the Soviet Union by Vladimir Vakhmistrov from 1931 onwards. Up to five fighters of various types were carried by Tupolev TB-2 and TB-3 bombers. One of these combinations would fly the only combat mission ever undertaken by parasite fighters when a TB-2 carrying Polikarpov SPB dive bombers attacked the Negra Voda bridge in Romania in 1941. 1931 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... The Tupolev TB-3 (Тяжелый бомбардировщик - Tyazholy Bombardirovschik - heavy bomber, development name ANT-6) was a heavy bomber aircraft which was deployed by the Soviet Air Force in the 1930s and early 1940s. ... A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy. ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Later in World War II, the Luftwaffe experimented with the Messerschmitt Me 328 as a parasite fighter, but problems with its pulsejet engines could not be overcome. Other late-war rocket-powered projects such as the Arado E.381 and Sombold So 344 never left the drawing board. World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th-century conflict that engulfed much of the... The   Luftwaffe[?] (German: air force, IPA: [luftvafÉ™]) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ... The Messerschmitt Me 328 was originally designed as a parasite fighter to protect Luftwaffe bomber formations during World War II. During its protracted development, a wide variety of other roles were suggested for it. ... A pulse jet engine is a very simple form of internal combustion engine wherein the combustion occurs in pulses and the propulsive effort is a reaction to the rearward flow of hot gasses. ... A Redstone rocket, part of the Mercury program A rocket is a vehicle, missile or aircraft which obtains thrust by the reaction to the ejection of fast moving exhaust gas from within a rocket engine. ...

During the early years of the Cold War, the United States Air Force experimented with a variety of parasite fighters to protect its Convair B-36 bombers, including the dedicated XF-85 Goblin, and methods of either carrying a F-84 Thunderjet in the bomber's bomb bay (the "FICON project"), or attached to the bomber's wingtips ("Project Tom Tom"). These projects were all abandoned before long. The Cold War was the open yet restricted rivalry that developed after World War II between the United States and its allies and the Soviet Union and its allies. ... Seal of the Air Force. ... A Convair B-36D in flight The Convair (Consolidated Vultee) B-36 was a strategic bomber operated almost entirely by the United States Air Force. ... The McDonnell XF-85 Goblin was a fighter aircraft, conceived during World War II and intended to be carried in the bomb bay of the giant Convair B-36 bomber as a defensive parasite fighter. ... The F-84 Thunderjet was an American built fighter-bomber aircraft made by the Republic Aviation Company. ...

See also: Parasite aircraft An example of a parasite aircraft is the Boeing X-43 being dropped from under the wing of a B-52 Stratofortress. ...