General Electric X353-5

The General Electric X353-5 was an unusual high bypass ratio liftfan system developed for the Ryan XV-5 Vertifan V/STOL research aircraft, known earlier as the VZ-11. Two General Electric J85-5 turbojets provided propulsion in wing-borne flight. For lift, their exhaust was diverted through ducting to a pair of vertically mounted turbine and fan units buried in the wings, similar in concept to the aft fan of the CJ805-23 except that the turbine blades sat outboard of the fan rather than inboard. A crossover duct kept both fans turning together if either engine failed, and a smaller fan in the nose, using 10.5 percent of the exhaust flow, controlled pitch. Louvres under each fan vectored the thrust in lift mode, where the effective bypass ratio was 12.16 to 1.