TYPE: Heavy night- and all-weather fighter. Project
ACCOMMODATION: Crew of two
POWER PLANT: Two Heinkel-Hirth HeS 011 turbojet engines, rated at 1,300 kp thrust each
PERFORMANCE: 500 mph
COMMENT: The Arado Ar E. 583.5 project was a heavy night and all-weather fighter that was proposed to the “Entwicklungs-Hauptkommission (EHK, Main commission for development) on 15. March 1945. The design was a 35 degree delta-wing with twin fins and rudders located on the wing trailing edge. The two man crew was seated back-to-back in a pressurized cockpit. The two Heinkel-Hirth HeS 011 turbojets were located under the rear fuselage. Four MK 108 30mm cannon were mounted in the nose, two upward-firing , oblique mounted MK 108 30mm cannon were located in mid fuselage, and two remotely controlled backwards firing MK 108 cannon in the tail. After the WW II construction drawings from Arado came to the US and influenced the design of the Chance Vought F7U Cutlass (Ref. 15, 16, 17).
TYPE: Heavy night and all-weather fighter and fighter-bomber. Project
ACCOMMODATION: Crew of three
POWER PLANT: Two Heinkel-Hirth HeS 011 turbojet engines, rated at 1.300 kp thrust each
PERFORMANCE: 466 mph
COMMENT: The Arado Ar E.583.06 was a design of a night and all-weather fighter, presented to the “Entwicklungs-Hauptkommission (EHK, Main commission for development) in March 1945. The layout was a more conventional counterpart to the radical delta-wing design Arado Ar E. 583.05 presented at the same time. Wings were swept-back at 35 degrees and two Heinkel-Hirth HeS 011 turbojet engines were placed under each wing. A crew of three men was seated in the pressurized cabin, which was fitted with ejection seats. The heavy armament consisted of four MK 108 30mm cannon mounted in the nose, two upward-firing , oblique mounted MK 108 30mm cannon located in mid fuselage, and one remotely controlled backwards firing MK 108 cannon in the tail. The end of WW II stopped any further development (Ref. 15, 16, 17).
POWER PLANT: Two Heinkel-Hirth HeS 011 turbojet engines, rated at 1,300 kp thrust each
PERFORMANCE: 590 mph
COMMENT: In mid 1944 the Heinkel design office was working on a heavy night and bad weather fighter with two-turbojet engines, and two crew members under project number P.1079. Initially, two different designs A and B were studied. Project He P.1079A was designed as a night-fighter. The crew of two sat back-to-back in the cockpit which was located near the nose. The wings were swept back 35 degrees and were mounted mid-fuselage, with two Heinkel-Hirth HeS 011 turbojets located in the wing roots. A V-tail plane (butterfly tail plane) was provided and armament was to be four MK 108 30mm cannon. Project He 1079B, a night fighter, too, was closer to a flying wing layout, although there was a single, vertical fin which replaced the V-tail of the P.1079A. Furthermore, the wings were gull-shaped and were swept back at 45 degrees. No evidence has been found that any of both P.1079 projects were ever submitted to the RLM, but it is known that members of Heinkel construction bureau were working on these designs under U.S. supervision during the summer of 1945 (Ref.: 16).
POWER PLANT: Two Heinkel-Hirth HeS 011 turbojet engines, rated at 1,300 kp thrust each
PERFORMANCE: 621 mph at 40,000 ft
COMMENT: In autumn 1944 the Focke-Wulf company proposed three different designs of fast bombers to meet the RLM’s “1000×1000×1000 Bomber” requirement. The request for proposals called for an aircraft with two turbojet engines and should be able to carry 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb) of bombs over a distance of 1,000 kilometers (620 mi) with a speed of 1,000 kilometers per hour (620 mph). The third design (Projeckt C) was of conventional layout similar to the first design (Projekt A, while Projekt B was a flying wing design. Projekt C had wings and tail plane of parallel chord and the fuselage was deepened. The two Heinkel-Hirth HeS 011 turbojet engines were on underwing pylons to increase the mass-balance effect. They were also turned out of line to help enhance single engine controllability. The pilot was positioned in a forward cockpit, and one 1000 kg bomb (Hermann) could be carried. As with the other two other bomber projects the Focke-Wulf Fw 1000x1000x1000 Bomber Projekt C remained on the drawing board (Ref.: 16).
Focke-Wulf Fw 3 x 1000 Bomber Projekt C
Focke-Wulf Fw 3 x 1000 Bomber Projekt C
Focke-Wulf Fw 3 x 1000 Bomber Projekt C
Focke-Wulf Fw 3 x 1000 Bomber Projekt C
Focke-Wulf Fw 3 x 1000 Bomber Projekt C
Focke-Wulf Fw 3 x 1000 Bomber Projekt C
Focke-Wulf Fw 1000x1000x1000 Bomber Projekt C
Focke-Wulf Fw 1000x1000x1000 Bomber, Projekt C
Focke-Wulf Fw 3 x 1000 Bomber Projekt C
Focke-Wulf Fw 3 x 1000 Bomber Projekt C
Focke-Wulf Fw 3 x 1000 Bomber Projekt C
Focke-Wulf Fw 3 x 1000 Bomber Projekt C
Focke-Wulf Fw 3 x 1000 Bomber Projekt C
Focke-Wulf Fw 3 x 1000 Bomber Projekt C
From left clockwise: Focke-Wulf Fw 031 0239/01 (3 x 1000 Bomber Project A), Focke-Wulf Fw 031 0239/10 (3 x 1000 Bomber Project B) and Focke-Wulf Fw 3 x 1000 Bomber Project C
POWER PLANT: One Junkers Jumo 222C/D radial engine, rated at 3000 hp and two BMW 003A turbojet engines, rated at 800 kp thrust each
PERFORMANCE: 527 mph
COMMENT: In autumn 1944 the team of Focke-Wulf proposed a design of a mixed-propulsion aircraft as a night and all-weather fighter. Three different projects are planed with different piston engines. Project I with Daimler-Benz DB 603N in-line engine, rated at 2705 hp and driving four-bladed propeller, Project II with Junkers Jumo 222C/D four row radial engine, rated 3000 hp and driving five-bladed propeller (shown here), and Project III with Argus As 413 in-line engine, rated at 4000hp, driving four-bladed propeller. Additionally, the latter two projects featured a pair of BMW 003A turbojets slung under the wings. The mid-fuselage mounted engine drove the rear propeller by an extension shaft and air was fed via two intakes in the wing roots. The wings were swept back and a cruciform tail was fitted, the lower fin also helping to keep the propeller from striking the ground during take-off. A crew of three (pilot, navigator and radar operator) sat together in a pressurized cockpit covered by a bubble canopy. Flight times could be increased up to eight hours with the jet engines shut down and the rear engine operating at half throttle. The aircraft was heavily armed with four forward firing MK 108 30mm cannon in the nose and two upward-firing oblique MK 108 30mm cannon in mid fuselage. In addition, two 500 kg bombs could be carried at the outer wing stations. The defeat of Germany made further plans obsolete (Ref.: 16).
POWER PLANT: One Kronach-Lorin coal burning ramjet, power output unknown
PERFORMANCE: 650 mph (estimated)
COMMENT: The Lippisch Li P.13b was a follow-on design from the Lippisch Li P.13a, and was also a ramjet fighter. Designed in December 1944, it featured Lippisch’s favorite wing plan, a delta design (sweepback was 60 degrees) with downturned wingtips. A double fin and rudder was chosen to provide steady flight, and the cockpit was moved forward for better pilot’s visibility, ahead of the delta wing’s apex. On each side of the cockpit on the wing’s leading edge were the air intakes which fed the ramjet. For take-off a liquid-fuel rocket driven trolley was used; additional rockets were necessary to accelerate the aircraft to speed for operating of ramjets. The main landing gear was a retractable landing skid, and the rear rested on the reinforced downturned wingtips. No armament was planned at this stage. Because of the fuel shortage in Germany at this stage in the war, an ingenious plan to use coal (or paraffin coated lignite dust) for fuel was to be tried. A centrally installed round or hexagonal heat-resistant ceramic combustion chamber was fitted in the interior of the wing, and was fillable from above. No tests were ever carried out with this design or with the unique power source and the project only stayed in stage of concept sketches on the drawing board (Ref.: 16).
POWER PLANT: Two Junkers Jumo 004B turbojet engines, rated at 1.100 kp each
PERFORMANCE: 646 mph
COMMENT: In the late summer of 1942, Lippisch’s team was working on the twin-jet bomber project under designation Lippisch Li P.11. When the RLM gave priority to the Horten Ho IX (Ho 229, Gotha Go 229), all work was stopped on the Li P.11. One year later, the RLM reissued an official contract with Prof. Lippisch to develop a “Very Fast Bomber” that was based on Lippisch’s earlier research. The project was renamed “Delta VI” upon completion of design work on an unpowered glider, which was to serve as the initial prototype. The RLM bestowed the highest priority on producing a fighter version and ordered to construct models, mock-ups, wind tunnel research, and made ready for production. By February 1944, design work for the proposed fighter, fighter-bomber and heavy fighter was nearly complete. The wing was swept back at 37 degrees, and the low wing loading promised a good climb capability and excellent maneuverability. Dr. Lippisch hoped to commence flight tests with the unpowered glider by April 1944, with the two Jumo 004B turbojet powered version to be flying by July 1944. The center section of the unpowered glider Delta VI was captured by American troops at Salzburg, this being the only part of the aircraft to be completed (Ref. 16, 23).
POWER PLANT: One Kronach-Lorin coal burning ramjet, power output unknown
PERFORMANCE: 1.025 mph (estimated)
COMMENT: The Lippisch P.13a was an experimental ramjet-powered delta wing interceptor aircraft designed in late 1944. The aircraft never made it past the drawing board, but testing of wind-tunnel models in the DVL (Deutsche Versuchsanstalt für Luftfahrt) thigh-speed wind tunnel showed that the design had extraordinary stability into the Mach 2.6 range. As conventional fuels were in extremely short supply by late 1944, Lippisch proposed that the P.13a be powered by coal. Initially, it was proposed that a wire-mesh basket holding coal be mounted behind a nose air intake, protruding slightly into the airflow and ignited by a gas burner. Following wind-tunnel testing of the ramjet and the coal basket, modifications were incorporated to provide more efficient combustion. The coal was to take the form of small granules instead of irregular lumps, to produce a controlled and even burn, and the basket was altered to a mesh drum revolving on a vertical axis at 60 rpm. A jet of flame from tanks of bottled gas would fire into the basket once the P.13a had reached operating speed (above 200 mph). The aircraft started on a trolley by using solid-fuel rockets or by towplane. For tests it could be launched by a carrier aircraft. In order to test this unorthodox design a test glider DM-1 was built by students from technical faculty of Darmstadt and Munich (DM 1 = Darmstadt-München 1). Furthermore, Film footage exists which shows a gliding test of a scaled-down model of the Lippisch P.13a. These tests began in May 1944 at Spitzerberg, near Vienna, before Nazi Germany collapsed (Ref.: 23).
POWER PLANT: One Heinkel/Hirth HeS 011 turbojet engine, rated at 1.300 kp
PERFORMANCE: 530 mph
COMMENT: End of 1943, the Arado Aircraft Company began work on a series of delta shaped, turbojet powered bombers, to fulfill the request of a “Long Range/High Speed Flying Wing Aircraft”. In fact, most of the (in total 14) projects, designated Ar E.555-1 to -14, had a flying wing configuration because it was thought to be the best design to fulfill a requirement of high speed, heavy loading and long-range aviation. Power was delivered by four to six turbojet engines. Due to the design acceptance by the RLM in early 1944, the Arado design team scaled down the projected, six turbojet engines equipped Arado E.555-1 bomber in same layout to design a smaller size fighter version, the Ar E.581-4. It was a single-seat fighter with a deep fuselage, and was powered by the single HeS 011 turbojet engine fed by a divided air intake under the cockpit. The wing was of a delta shape with the twin fins and rudders on the trailing edge, and the landing gear was of tricycle arrangement. Although work on the project was in progress Arado was ordered to cease all work on the Ar E.581 for concentrating all facility resources on the existing fighter production (Jäger-Notprogramm, Fighter emergency program) (Ref.: 16).
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)
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