In 1969 Lockheed produced a highly conceptual study to determine the uses and capabilities of the largest aircraft technically feasible using 1960’s era technology. The result was the CL-1201, a nuclear-powered aircraft with a truly enormous 1,120 foot wingspan and a weight about fifteen times heavier than the next largest aircraft in existence.
Although Lockheed’s concept is now widely known by aviation enthusiast, the original report is nowhere to be found, having either been lost or destroyed. Currently, the best source of information is a paper published for the 1982 AIAA 2nd International Very Large Vehicles Conference which references several aspects of the original report.
Two variants of the CL-1201 were studied. The first was an airborne aircraft carrier armed with 24 aircraft and long-range cruise missiles, and the second, a military transport capable of carrying up to 400 combat-equipped troops, 472 specialized crew, and over a thousand tons of mechanized equipment and supplies. Multiple CL-1201 aircraft would function in close coordination during combat use.
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