TYPE: Night and bad-weather fighter
ACCOMMODATION: Pilot and Radar observer
POWER PLANT: Two Junkers Jumo 213E, rated at 1,750 h.p. each
PERFORMANCE: 404 m.p.h. at 23,250 ft
COMMENT: This Ta 154V3, also designated Ta 154A-03/U1, was the first pre-production aircraft. It was equipped with a FuG 212 Lichtenstein C-1 radar, fitted with “Matratzen” (Mattress) antennae array. An order for 250 Ta 154A-1 fighters was placed, but only a few produced.
TYPE: Experimental STOL aircraft
ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only
POWER PLANT: Two Continental A-80 engines, rated at 107 h.p. each
PERFORMANCE: 138 m.p.h. at 5,000 ft
COMMENT: The Vought V-173 Flying Pancake was an American experimental test aircraft built as part of the Vought XF5U program during World War II.
Both the V-173 and the XF5U featured an unorthodox “all-wing” design consisting of flat, somewhat disk-shaped bodies (hence the name) serving as the lifting surface. Two piston engines buried in the body drove propellers located on the leading edge at the wingtips.
In the 1930s, Charles H. Zimmerman was a noted aeronautical engineer who advocated the concept of “discoidal” aircraft, the so-called “Zimmer Skimmer” and worked on a variety of projects on his own and with the Vought company. After testing using scale models, including a remotely controlled, electrically powered large-scale model, designated the Vought V-162, the US Navy approached Zimmerman and offered to fund further development. Data and concept documentation was given to the Navy in 1939, with wind tunnel tests on full-scale models being completed in 1940-1941.
The original prototype, designated the V-173 (Flying Pancake), was built of wood and canvas and featured a conventional, fully symmetrical aerofoil section (NACA 0015). Designed as a “proof-of-concept” prototype, the initial configuration V-173 was built as a lightweight test model powered by two 80 hp Continental A-80 engines turning Vought F4U Corsair propellers. These were replaced by a pair of specially modified 16 ft 6 in three-bladed units. A tall, fixed main undercarriage combined with a small tailwheel gave the aircraft a 22° “nose-high” angle.
The disc wing design featured a low aspect ratio that overcame the built-in disadvantages of induced drag created at the wingtips with the large propellers actively canceling the drag-causing tip vortices. The propellers were arranged to rotate in the opposite direction to the tip vortices, allowing the aircraft to fly with a much smaller wing area. The small wing provided high maneuverability with greater structural strength. The empennage consisted of two vertical fins with rudders, all-moving stabilizers with anti-servo tabs and two large elevator/trim surfaces on either side of centerline on the trailing edge of the wing planform.
Zimmerman chose to include the all-moving stabilizer design because he realized that the increased drag, prop wash, and large wing area would make the aircraft difficult to control at low speeds. Wind tunnel tests would prove that this was a success to an extent. The aircraft would prove to require a lot of force to control at low speeds during in-flight testing but the tail design would prove to make the aircraft controllable.
The first flight of the V-173 was on 23 November 1942 with Vought Chief Test Pilot B. Guyton at the controls. The aircraft’s most significant problem concerned its complicated gearbox that routed power from the engines to its two long propeller shafts. The gearbox produced unacceptable amounts of vibration in ground testing, delaying the aircraft’s first test flight for months. This contributed to the aircraft feeling much too heavy when maneuvering for its light weight. In addition to this on the first few flights, the pilot was never able to achieve enough speed to achieve the correct amount of airflow over the control surfaces to pull the aircraft into level flight. The test pilot discussed these issues with Zimmerman and they worked to eliminate these issues. In addition to this Guyton commented that the cockpit design was poor. He explained that in addition to the poor comfort the pilot had limited to no use for the clear bottom panels of the cockpit. He explained that the pilot sat too high in the cockpit to effectively use these lower panels for takeoff or landing. Flight testing of the V-173 went on through 1942 and 1943 with 190 flights, resulting in reports of UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects) from surprised Connecticut locals. Charles Lindberg piloted the V-173 during this time and found it surprisingly easy to handle and exhibiting impressive low-speed capabilities. Both Lindbergh and Guyton found that they were almost unable to stall the aircraft. Guyton was able to keep the aircraft in flight no matter how hard he pulled the stick in low-speed flight ranges at any altitude under 20,000 ft. On one occasion, the V-173 was forced to make an emergency landing on a beach. As the pilot made his final approach, he noticed two bathers directly in his path. The pilot locked the aircraft’s brakes on landing, causing the aircraft to flip over onto its back. Remarkably, the airframe proved so strong that neither the plane nor the pilot sustained any significant damage. Despite their inability to stall the aircraft they did find low speed handling to be a persistent issue largely due to the shape of the lifting body. They found that the aircraft acted as an airbrake when it was pulled into a high angle of attack. This meant that the control surfaces, the horizontal stabilizers, in particular, would become very hard to operate at low speeds such as stalls, takeoff, and landing.
The developmental V-173 made its last flight 31 March 1947. In 131.8 hours of flying over 190 flights, Zimmerman’s theory of a near-vertical takeoff- and landing-capable fighter had been proven. This project would be improved upon including the addition of potential armament with the prototype of the carier-borne Vought XF5U fighter aircraft. This project would improve on many of the weaknesses discovered during the testing of the V-173 prototype (Ref.: 24).
TYPE: Fast attack bomber, Night and Bad-weather Fighter. Project.
ACCOMMODATION: Pilot and Radar-observer
POWER PLANT: Junkers Jumo 211R, rated at 1,322 h.p. each
PERFORMANCE: 400 m.p.h. (estimated)
COMMENT: The Focke-Wulf Ta 211, designed by Prof. K. Tank and his team and what was named after the Jumo 211R engine to be used, was the first design what later became the Focke-Wulf Ta 154. The idea was to design a plane that was comparable or even better than the de Havilland “Mosquito”. In the form shown here, equipped with FuG 217 Neptune radar, it never flew (Ref.: 19).
TYPE: Carrier-based fighter
ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only
POWER PLANT: Two Westinghouse J 34-WE-32 turbojets, rated at 1,300 kp each
PERFORMANCE: 602 m.p.h.
COMMENT: This design based on research data from the German Arado company with tailless projects. 14 F7U-1 were built, followed by 290 F7U-3
TYPE: Interceptor fighter. Project
ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only
POWER PLANT: Argus As 014 pulsejet, rated at 333 kp
PERFORMANCE: 388 m.p.h. at 19,700 ft
COMMENT: Blohm & Voss design for the “Miniaturjäger” (Miniature fighter) competition from November 1944. It called for a cheap and easy to built interceptor, powered by an Argus pulsejet. Two more companies, Heinkel and Junkers submitted their designs, Heinkel He162B Single Argus and Junkers EF 126. No orders were given, the program was cancelled in December 1944
TYPE: Interceptor fighter. Project
ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only
POWER PLANT: Heinkel HeS 011 turbojet, rated at 1,500 kp
PERFORMANCE: 642 mph., endurance 4 h with wing drop tanks (estimated)
COMMENT: The Blohm & Voss Bv P.212 was a proposed jet fighter designed by Blohm & Voss for the Jägernotprogramm (Emergency Fighter Program) Luftwaffe design competition during the Second World War.
In early 1945, a replacement was sought for the Heinkel He 162 Volksjäger (Peoples fighter) under the continuing Emergency Fighter Program, challenging engeneers to develop a new aircraft built around the Heinkel-Hirth HeS 011, a new turbojet engine which was being developed, in order to create a better high-altitude fighter jet. By February 1945, the Luftwaffe had received several proposals. Three proposals had been received from Messerschmitt, two from Focke-Wulf and one each from Heinkel, Junkers and Blohm & Voss respectively. The competition was won by the Junkers EF 128, a broadly similar design
Three iterations of the Bv P.212 were studied, all featuring a similar general layout of a short fuselage with nose intake leading to a single buried Heinkel-Hirth HeS 011 jet engine, and a tailless swept wing.
Bv P.212.01: The first design had a short, squat fuselage and a short air intake for the He S 011 jet engine. Its wings were swept at a 45-degree angle.
Bv P.212.02 was the second design and featured a slightly lengthened fuselage and was seen as a refined version of the original.
Bv P.212.03 was the third version and boasted a further lengthened fuselage with a pressurized cockpit and larger internal fuel tanks. Its wings were swept back at forty degrees. Uniquely, the wings were designed to be made out of either wood, steel or luminium as available. With an ideal fuel weight, the aircraft could fly for up to four hours at a time. This was the model presented to the Luftwaffe (Ref.: 24).
TYPE: Interception fighter. Project
ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only
POWER PLANT: Heinkel HeS 011 turbojet, rated at 1,500 kp
PERFORMANCE: +600 mph (estimated)
COMMENT: The Blohm & Voss Bv P.212 was a proposed jet fighter designed by Blohm & Voss for the Jägernotprogramm (Emergency Fighter Program) Luftwaffe design competition during the Second World War.
In early 1945, a replacement was sought for the Heinkel He 162 Volksjäger (Peoples fighter) under the continuing Emergency Fighter Program, challenging engeneers to develop a new aircraft built around the Heinkel-Hirth HeS 011, a new turbojet engine which was being developed, in order to create a better high-altitude fighter jet. By February 1945, the Luftwaffe had received several proposals. Three proposals had been received from Messerschmitt, two from Focke-Wulf and one each from Heinkel, Junkers and Blohm & Voss respectively. The competition was won by the Junkers EF 128, a broadly similar design
Three iterations of the Bv P.212 were studied, all featuring a similar general layout of a short fuselage with nose intake leading to a single buried Heinkel-Hirth HeS 011 jet engine, and a tailless swept wing.
Bv P 212.01 presented here was the first design. It had a short, squat fuselage and a short air intake for the He S 011 jet engine. Its wings were swept at a 45-degree angle.
Bv P.212.02 was the second design and featured a slightly lengthened fuselage and was seen as a refined version of the original.
Bv P.212.03 was the third version and boasted a further lengthened fuselage with a pressurized cockpit and larger internal fuel tanks. Its wings were swept back at forty degrees. Uniquely, the wings were designed to be made out of either wood, steel or luminium as available. With an ideal fuel weight, the aircraft could fly for up to four hours at a time. This was the model presented to the Luftwaffe (Ref.: 24).
Type: Interceptor fighter
ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only
POWER PLANT: BMW 003 turbojet, rated at 800 kp
PERFORMANCE: 477 m.p.h. at 19.500 ft (estimated)
COMMENT: The Blohm & Voss Bv P 211 was a design proposal submitted by Blohm & Voss to the Volksjäger jet fighter competition of the Luftwaffe Emergency Fighter Program towards the end of the Second World war.
During the latter part of 1944, when the High Command of the Luftwaffe saw that there was a dire need to put up a strong defense against the devastating Allied bombing raids. On September 1944 the aircraft manufacturers Messerschmitt, Arado, Focke-Wulf, Heinkel, Junkers and Blohm & Voss were asked to propose designs for single-engined light fighters weighing no more than 2000 kg that would use one BMW 003 jet engine per unit.
Owing to the war-related scarcity of strategic matrials such as aluminium, the jets were required to be simplified in order to be built using a strict minimum, as well as to be built in adequate quantities as quickly as possible in underground factories. Despite these requirements that would impinge on the overall quality of the new planes, their performance was required to surpass that of the best piston-engined fighters, being able to reach a maximum speed of 470 mph with a minimum combat action time of 30 minutes.
Blohm & Voss submitted two preliminary designs, the Bv P 210 tailless swept wing jet and the more conventional, tailed P 211. Only the Bv P 211 was progressed further in two variants.
The Blohm & Voss Bv P. 211.01 had a low swept wing but with a conventional tail. The single BMW 003A-1 engine was located amidships in the lower fuselage, with a tail boom extending above and behind it. Although it had good aerodynamic properties and was praised by officials, it did not go into production.
The second variant, The Blohm & Voss Bv P 211.02 was similar to the P 211.01 but, since low cost and ease of manufacture were important, had a simpler straight, unswept wing. The wing was placed in the shoulder position, slightly below the top of the fuselage. The P 211.02 included wood in its construction. Parts of the plane were built, such as the steel air-intake/fuselage load-bearing structure for the single BMW 003A-1 engine. However, the P 211.02 didn’t go past the project stage for the project was finally awarded to Heinkel whose He 162 Spatz went into mass-production (Ref.: 24).
TYPE: Interceptor fighter
ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only
POWER PLANT: One Wright R-3350-17 Duplex Cyclone radial piston engine, rated at 2,300 hp, and driving six-bladed contra-rotating constant-speed propellers
PERFORMANCE: 448 mph at 27,000 ft
COMMENTS: The Curtiss XP-62 was a prototype single-engine interceptor aircraft, that was built for the United States Army Air Forces, by the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. It first flew in 1943.
The design sought to have an improved high-altitude performance and higher speeds, at all altitudes, which was to be assisted by the 18-cylinder Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone engine. It was to be armed with four 0.79 in autocannons, a heavier armament than contemporary USAAF fighter aircraft, and was fitted with a pressurized cockpit.
The terms of the contract proposal of 29 April 1941 called for the first flight within fifteen months of the award and meet the following objectives:
Maximum level flight speed at 27,000 ft had to exceed 468 mph, it was to feature an air-conditioned pressurized cockpit , armament to be either eight 0.79 in cannons or twelve 0.50 in machine guns, mounted in the wings.
Two prototypes were ordered; the first designated XP-62 and the second designated XP-62A.
On 2 August 1941, the specifications were amended for the XP-62, reducing the maximum speed to 448 mph with eight 0.79 in cannons, and increasing the loaded weight by 1,537 lb (697 kg).
During a project review of 1 January 1942, the specification was again revised, with the loaded weight reduced by eliminating four cannons and removing the propeller de-icing equipment.
On 25 May 1942 a contract for 100 P-62 fighters was awarded. However, on July 1942, before production could begin, the contract for the P-62 was terminated by the USAAF because of the effect on deliveries of Curtiss-built Republic P-47G-CU Thunderbolts.
While work on the XP-62A continued, it progressed slowly, owing to its low priority. Delays in delivery of the pressure-cabin supercharger and engine modifications delayed the first flight until 21 July 1943. Only a limited amount of flight testing was carried out before the XP-62A was canceled on 21 September 1943 and full performance characteristics were not obtained. The prototype was scrapped in early 1944 (Ref.: 24).
TYPE: Carrier-based fighter
ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only
POWER PLANT: Westinghouse J 34-WE-30 turbojet, rated at 1.300 k.p.
PERFORMANCE: 564 m.p..h at 20,00ft
COMMENTS: First jet fighter of Chance Vought. First flight after WW II
