Category Archives: Luftwaffe

Deutschland / Germany

Lippisch P.13-42 (Unicraft, Resin)

TYPE: High speed bomber, fighter bomber. Project

ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only

POWER PLANT: 2 x Daimler-Benz DB 605, rated  at 1,475 PS each

PERFORMANCE: Not available

COMMENT: This design for a tailless high-speed bomber is dated November 25, 1942 and originates from Dipl.-Ing. Josef Hubert, head of Lippisch’s aerodynamics section in Department “L”, as part of Messerschmitt Company. Two Daimler-Benz DB 605B engines provided power. One was mounted conventionally in the front of the fuselage the other was placed in the rear and drove a propeller via a short extension shaft.  The wings were swept back at approximately 18 degrees and 38 degrees. Since this was a tailless design, there were no horizontal tail planes but a single fin and rudder was set at the rear and extended slightly below the fuselage.  The two main landing gear legs were mounted near the wing’s leading edge, and retracted towards the fuselage. A single tail wheel retracted forward into the fuselage. The pilot sat in a cockpit placed midway along the fuselage. No armament was to be fitted at this stage, as it was felt the aircraft’s speed would be sufficient to prevent interception. As there was no internal bomb bay, the bomb load had to be carried externally. Although calculations were promising, this project remained on the drawing board (Ref. 16).

Lippisch P. 14b (Unicraft, Resin)

TYPE: Interceptor, fighter. Project

ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only

POWER PLANT: Heinkel HeS 011 turbojet, rated at 1,500 kp

PERFORMANCE: Not available

Lippisch P. 14 (Unicraft, Resin)

TYPE: Interceptor, fighter. Project

ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only, prone position

POWER PLANT: 2 x Heinkel HeS 011 turbo jets, rated at 1,300 kp each

PERFORMANCE: Not available

COMMENT: Project of a twin engined delta fighter. Only a model was built

Focke-Wulf Fw P. V. Volksjäger (Unicraft, Resin)

TYPE: Interceptor fighter. Project

ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only

POWER PLANT: Walter HKW 109-509 A-2 liquid fueled rocket engine, rated at 1,700kp

PERFORMANCE: 621 mph

COMMENT: Although nicknamed “Volksjäger” (“peoples fighter”), this project was not proposed for the RLM “Volksjäger” competition from September 1944. This design was possibly submitted for the “Miniaturjäger” (Miniature fighter) competition of the RLM.

Sombold So 344 (RS Models, Resin)

TYPE: Interceptor. Project

ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only

POWER PLANT: One Walter HKW 109-509A, rated at 1.700 kp

PERFORMANCE: Not available

COMMENT:The Sombold 344 “Schußjäger” (Shoot Fighter) was a rocket powered aircraft designed in 1943/44. It was originally intended as a parasite escort fighter, but its original design was changed in January 1944. The second version of the aircraft retained the two MG machine guns, but its front section was an ejectable explosive nose with stabilizing fins filled with 400 kg of explosives. The pilot sat in the cockpit near the tail which was in the back section. The plane would have been released from a mother plane upon reaching combat altitude. Then it would ignite its single rocket engine and dive towards the enemy bomber fleet at a 45 degree angle. Shortly before contact it would release its explosive nose, equipped with a proximity fuze into the center of the combat box formation in a way that it would damage as many bombers as possible. Then it would try to get away with the remaining fuel in its rocket engine and finally land on its fixed skid. A 1/5 scale model for aerodynamic tests existed when the works on the So 344 were abandoned in early 1945 (Ref.: 23).

Focke-Wulf Super Lorin with Kramer X-4 (Unicraft, Resin)

TYPE: Interceptor, fighter. Project.

ACCOMODATION: Pilot only

POWER PLANT: Two Lorin ramjet engines, rated at 1.500 kp each (estimated) plus one Walther WHK 109-509A liquid-fueled rocket engine, rated at 1.700 kp

PERFORMANCE: 680 mph in 36090 ft (estimated)

COMMENT: Very little is known about this project, which was designed around the same time as the Focke-Wulf Fw Ta 238. The “Super Lorin” featured sharply swept back wings which were mounted mid-fuselage. There were two ramjets mounted at the tips of the swept back tail plane, this was thought to minimize airflow disturbance. Since ramjets do not begin to operate until a speed of approximately 150 mph is reached, Schmidding solid- fueled or Walter WHK 109 liquid-fueled rockets were proposed to accelerate the aircraft until the ramjets could begin operating. The landing gear was to be a tricycle arrangement, and armament would have been two MK 108 30mm cannon. The aircraft shown here is fitted with two Ruhstahl/Kramer X-4 guided missiles. (Ref.: 16).

Messerschmitt Me P.1079/18 „Schwalbe“ (Swallow), (Unicraft, Resin)

TYPE: Fast bomber, destoyer , ground attack aircraft. Project

 ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only

 POWER PLANT: Two Junkers Jumo 003B turbojet engines, rated at 900 kp each

 PERFORMANCE: 590 mph, estimated

COMMENT: The Messerschmitt Me P.1079/18 „Schwalbe“ (Swallow) project of 1942, not to confuse so to the  Messerschmitt Me 262 „Schwalbe,  was designed  in the Messerschmitt Abteilung L (for Lippisch) under the leadership of Dipl.-Ing R.Seitz. This single-seat tailles aircraft with a wing leading edge sweep of 37 degree and fitted with fixed outboard slots, ailerons and elevators, was powered by two superimposed  turbojet engines, the upper and the lower air intakes bifurcated  by the cockpit and nosewheel enclosures. The wide-track main wheels  retracted diagonally forwards into the wing roots, the aircraft having a total of six protected fuel tanks. The significance of tail brakes is not known. Beside its use as fast bomber and ground attack aircraft, it was also to function as a Zerstörer. Although this seemingly advanced project was stopped by the RLM in 1942, the Me P.1079/17 which later received the RLM designation Messerschmitt Me 328, was given green light to procced (Ref.:16).

Junkers Ju-187 (Unicraft, Resin)

TYPE: Dive-bomber and close-support aircraft. Project

ACCOMMODATION: Pilot and rear gunner/observer

POWER PLANT: Junkers Jumo 213 A-1, rated at 1,750 h.p.

PERFORMANCE: Not available

COMMENT: Needed as replacement for the shortcoming Ju 87, the design was faster, better armored and had a greater bomb load. The most unusual feature was the movable tail fin. In order to clear the field of fire for the remote-controlled rear turret the whole tail plane could be turned downwards by 180 degree. Although a full sized mock-up was built the OKL preferred the Focke Wulf Fw 190 as close-support fighter bomber