All posts by Gunther Arnold

Fighter, Projects

Miles M.23 Milefire (Unicraft, Resin)

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TYPE: Interceptor fighter. Project.

ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only

POWER PLANT: One Rolls-Royce Griffon liquid cooled engine, rated at 1,600 hp

PERFORMANCE: 470 mph at 15.000 ft

COMMENT: In 1941 a proposal was submitted to the Ministry of Aircraft Production for a high-speed single-seat fighter powered initially by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, and later – when in full production – by a more powerful Rolls-Royce Griffon engine. The aircraft was of wooden construction with the exception of the wing spars, which were of metal. Rather unusual it was fitted with a reverse tricycle undercarriage, the rear unit of which was provided with two positions, giving either a horizontal or a tail down attitude to the fuselage. The main undercarriage was folded inwards into the wings, giving a wide track. In order to reduce the frontal area, the windscreen and canopy were very low. To enable the pilot to have an adequate view for take-off and landing, he could raise his seat, the top of the canopy hinging up to form a windscreen. The wings were of elliptical planform, the root thickness rather high. The wing area was substantially less than on other existing fighter, resulting in a higher wing loading. The M.23 was not ordered, possibly because it was of wooden construction and possibly because the Ministry did not believe that, even with a Rolls-Royce Griffon engine, a speed of 470 mph would be attainable with a 20 percent thick wing (Ref.: Unicraft).

Trainer

Horten Ho V V-2 (Fruitbat)

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TYPE: Experimental flying wing

ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only

POWER PLANT: Two Hirth HM 60R inline engines, rated at 80 hp each, driving pusher propellers

PERFORMANCE: 218 mph

COMMENT: Walter and Reimar Horten, credited as the Horten Brothers, were German aircraft pilots and enthusiasts. Although they had little, if any, formal training in aeronautics or related fields, the Horten Brothers designed not only some outstanding gliders but some of the most advanced aircraft of the mid 1940s, including the world’s first jet-powered flying wing, the Horten Ho 229. Early in 1930, both began their career by designing some outstanding gliders, most of them in flying wing configuration. The first Horten Ho I glider was awarded for its excellent construction and was followed by the Horten Ho II that, after flight testing as glider, was powered  by one Hirth HM 60 R engine with pusher-type propeller. Further development was the Horten Ho III, a high performance glider, of which 14 aircraft were built, and the Horten Ho IV, also a high performance glider. In 1936, supported by the Dynamit Noble Company, construction of the Horten Ho V began, a twin engine flying wing with two seats and built completely from “Trolitax”, a new synthetic material. Most advanced was its control system by combining lateral and yaw control. Undamped vibrations occurred during flight and the aircraft crashed, the pilot survived. The second prototype, the Horten Ho V V-2, a single seater, was constructed in a conventional way, as far as the material and the control systems are concerned. During flight tests the aircraft showed excellent handling characteristics but remained grounded as WW II proceeded (Ref.:  19)

Fighter, Fighterbomber, Projects

Hawker P.1030 Super Tempest (Unicraft, Resin)

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TYPE: Fighter, fighter bomber. Project

ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only

POWER PLANT: One Rolls-Royce R. 46 supercharged, liquid-cooled engine, rated at 2.500 to 4.000 hp

PERFORMANCE: 508 mph at 25.000 ft

COMMENT: In 1944, in response to F.13/44 specification of the Air Ministry Sydney Camm, chief designer of the Hawker Aircraft Company, started a design, the P.1027, for a slightly enlarged “Tempest” fighter powered by a Rolls-Royce R. 46 engine, which was projected to develop around 2.500 to 4.000 hp. The engine would have driven eight-blade contra-rotating propellers. The radiator was to be moved into a ventral bath under the rear fuselage and wing center section. This design was soon rejected in favour of the P.1030, which featured wing leading edge radiators and larger overall dimensions. Top speed was expected to be app. 508 mph with a rate of climb of 6.400 ft/min and a service ceiling of about 42.000 ft. Both projects were dropped in favour of more promising turbojet engine designs Camm and his team was working on (Hawker P.1048) (Ref.: Unicraft)

Fighter, Projects

Focke-Wulf Fw “Triebflügeljäger” (“Thrust-wing Fighter”) (Huma)

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TYPE: Target defense interceptor. Project.

ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only, in seated position

POWER PLANT: Three Pabst/Lorin ramjets at wingtips, rated at 840 kp thrust each. For starting ramjets Walther 109-500 solid-fuel rockets were fitted to each ramjet, rated at 500 kp for 30 seconds each

PERFORMANCE: 621 mph (estimated)

COMMENT:  This Focke-Wulf Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) fighter/interceptor project was designed in September 1944, at the same time when the Heinkel Company worked on its VTOL-projects “Lerche” and “Wespe”. But in contrast to the latter two designs the propulsion system of the Focke-Wulf project was radical different. Three untapered wings rotated around the fuselage and had a gradually decreasing pitch towards the wingtips, thus acting like a giant propeller (“Triebflügel”). At the end of each wing was a Pabst ramjet. Since ramjets do not operate at slow speeds, the wing-rotor had to be driven by small Walter rocket engines, fitted to each ramjet pod. When the plane was sitting on its tail in the vertical position, the rotors would have functioned similarly to a helicopter. When flying horizontally, they would function more like a giant propeller. A cruciform empennage at the rear of the fuselage comprised four tail planes, fitted with moving ailerons that would also have functioned as combined rudders and elevators. A single large and sprung wheel in the extreme end of the fuselage provided the main undercarriage. Four small castoring wheels on extensible struts were placed at the end of each tail plane to steady the aircraft on the ground and allow it to be moved. The main and outrigger wheels were covered by streamlined clamshell doors when in flight. When taking off, the rotors would be angled to give lift as with a helicopter or, more accurately, a gyrodyne. Once the aircraft had attained sufficient altitude it could be angled into level flight. This required a slight nose-up pitch to provide some downward thrust as well as primarily forward thrust. Consequently, the four cannons in the forward fuselage would have been angled slightly downward in relation to the center line of the fuselage. The rotors provided the only significant lift in horizontal flight. To land, the aircraft had to slow its speed and pitch the fuselage until the craft was vertical. Power could then be reduced and it would descend until the landing gear rested on the ground. This would have been a tricky and probably dangerous maneuver given that the pilot would be seated facing upward and the ground would be behind his head at this stage. Unlike some other tail sitter aircraft, the pilot’s seat was fixed in the direction for forward flight. The spinning rotor would also obscure rear vision. Although the “Triebflügeljäger” project was not realized, a wind tunnel model was tested up to a speed of Mach 0.9 (Ref.: 17, 18, 23)

Fighter, Fighterbomber

Hawker Tempest V (Matchbox)

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TYPE: Low- and medium-altitude fighter, fighter bomber

ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only

POWER PLANT: One Napier Sabre IIB liquid-cooled engine, rated at 2,200 hp

PERFORMANCE: 435 mph at 17,000 ft

COMMENT: The Tempest V preceded the Tempest II into production and squadron service, and was, in fact, the only variant of the Tempest series of fighters to be employed operationally during WW II. The Tempest V employed the well-tried Napier Sabre II engine of the Typhoon yet, despite its close family resemblance to the earlier fighter and the use of the same engine, it possessed a markedly superior performance, being an object lesson in aerodynamic refinement. The first production tempest V flew on June 1943 and the type entered service in April 1944. Within a couple of months the Tempest V was the fastest low-medium altitude fighter available to the RAF and had become the mainstay of Britain’s fighter defence against the German Fieseler Fi 103 Flying bomb (V 1). In total 801 Tempest V had been built. A further development of this famous fighter was the Tempest VI (Ref.: 12)

 

 

Fighter

Curtiss XP-55 Ascender (MPM)

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TYPE: Interceptor fighter

ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only

POWER PLANT: One Allison V-1710-95 liquid-cooled engine, rated at 1,250 hp

PERFORMANCE: 390 mph at 19,300 ft

COMMENT: One of the most radical fighter designs to fly during WW II, the Curtiss XP-55 was evolved as a result of Circular Proposals R-40C which called for a fighter powered by the Pratt & Whitney X-1800-A3G engine which, by employing an conventional design, offered enhanced pilot visibility and armament installation, and a considerable reduction in overall drag by comparison with similar powered single-seaters of conventional configuration. An US Army Air Corps specification issued on November 1939 set forth performance requirements and, in addition to Curtiss-Wright, the Vultee and Northrop companies submitted design proposals, these eventually appearing as Vultee XP-54 and Northrop XP-56 and also employing unorthodox configurations. On July 1943 a contract was issued for three XP-55 fighters powered by the Allison V-1710, which engine was selected in preference to the Pratt &N Whitney X-1800 on the basis of reliability and availability. The first XP-55 was completed on July 1943, and flight testing began immediately. This aircraft was destroyed on November 1943 during stall tests. While the second prototype began flight test on January 1944 under restricted conditions, extensive modifications were incorporated in the third XP-55 that began flight test on September 1944. The results of these trials indicated that, in general, the handling characteristics of the XP-55 were satisfactory. A serious handicap was engine cooling which was critical during all phases of operation. The XP-55 attained a maximum speed of 377.5 mph at 16,900 ft. The official conclusions were that the performance did not compare favourably with standard production fighters and further development was abandoned (Ref.: 13)

Fighter, Fighterbomber, Projects

Blohm & Voss Bv P. 204 with Blohm & Voss Bv 246 “Hagelkorn” (Hailstone) (Airmodel, Vacu formed)

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TYPE: Ground attack aircraft, dive bomber. Project.

ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only

POWER PLANT: One BMW 301D radial engine, rated at 1,870 hp and one BMW 003A-1 turbojet engine, rated at 900 kp

PERFORMANCE: 472 mph

COMMENT: This asymmetric mixed-propulsion ground attack aircraft and dive bomber was designed by Dr. Richard Vogt, Chief engineer of the Blohm & Voss Aircraft Company. The wing was of an unswept, rectangular shape with taper and dihedral on the outer wing panels. The fuselage was slightly offset to the starboard side, to balance the BMW 003A or Heinkel He S 011 turbojet that was slung beneath the port wing. A BMW 801 D radial engine also provided power, this being located in the nose of the fuselage. The tail plane was located forward of the vertical tail on a stepped section of the fin. A conventional landing gear design was chosen for the BV P.204, with the tailwheel retracting backwards into the rear fuselage, while the mail wheels retracted outwards into the wing. Armament consisted of two MG 151/20 20mm cannon with 250 rounds of ammunition located ahead of the cockpit firing through the propeller and two MG 151/20 20mm cannon mounted in the wings firing outside of the propeller arc. There was a provision to mount two MK 103 30mm cannon with 70 rounds of ammunition beneath the wings also. For highly defended targets a Blohm & Voss Bv 246 “Hagelkorn” (“Hailstone”) missile, an automatic guided glide bomb, could be carried externally under the fuselage (Ref.: 16).

Fighter, Fighterbomber

Hawker Tempest II (Matchbox)

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TYPE: Interceptor, fighter bomber

ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only

POWER PLANT: One Bristol Centaurus V radial engine, rated at 2,520 hp

PERFORMANCE: 440 mph at 15,900 ft

COMMENT: The Tempest II was developed in parallel with the Tempest I and Tempest V, and owed much to experience gained with the Centaurus-powered Tornado prototype. The first Tempest II prototype flew initially on June 1943, being followed on September 1943 by the second prototype, but production priority was given to the Tempest V, and deliveries of the Tempest II did not commence until October 1944. The Tempest II was the most powerful fighter powered by a single piston engine to see service with the R.A.F. and was intended primarily for operations against the Japanese in Far East where its excellent range would undoubtedly have proved most useful. It was proposed that a wing of fifty Tempest IIs be sent to the Pacific in May 1945, but in the event, hostilities terminated before the fighter had been issued to the squadrons. A total of 462 Tempest II had been built (Ref.: 12).

Torpedobomber, Reconnaissance

Fairey Swordfish Mk.III (Matchbox)

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TYPE: Torpedo bomber, anti-submarine aircraft, trainer

ACCOMMODATION: Crew of three

POWER PLANT: One Bristol Pegasus III M3 radial engine, rated at 690 hp

PERFORMANCE: 143 mph at 5.000 ft

COMMENT: The Fairey Swordfish was a biplane torpedo bomber designed by the Fairey Aviation company, used by the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm during World War II. Originating in the 1930s, the Swordfish, nicknamed “Stringbag”, was an outdated design by the start of the war in 1939, but remained in front-line service until the end of the hostilities in Europe outliving several types intended to replace it, e.g. the Fairey Albacore. It was initially operated primarily as a fleet attack aircraft. During its later years the aircraft was equipped with racks under the lower wings to enable the mounting of rockets and a large centrimetric radar in a fairing under the fuselage. It was used as an anti-submarine and training aircraft. When the production was halted in August 1944 a total 2,391 have been built (Ref.:23).

Fighter

Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet (MPM)

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TYPE: Interceptor fighter

ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only

POWER PLANT: One Pratt & Whitney R-2800-29 radial engine, rated at 2,000 hp

PERFORMANCE: 465 mph at 25,000 ft (estimated)

COMMENT: After the accident of the first XP-56 prototype it was decided to re-balance the second prototype and move the center of gravity forward. Other changes included a major increase in the size of the upper vertical surface, and the incorporation of a novel form of rudder control which made use of air bellows to operate wingtip split flaps for directional control. The control of the bellows was achieved by valving air to or from the bellows by means of wingtip venturis. On March 1944 the second XP-56 was flows for the first time. Nose heaviness, relative low speeds, high fuel consumption and control instability led the N.A.C.A. to test the aircraft in the wind tunnel at Moffett field. Meanwhile, some more flight test have been performed but proved not satisfactory. It was decided that further flight test were too hazardous and after the project had been inactive for more than a year the decision was taken to abandon the project (Ref.: 13).