Engineering:DFS 228
| DFS 228 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Manufacturer | Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug |
| Designer | |
| Management and usage | Luftwaffe |
| Number built | 2 |
| History | |
| First flight | August 1944 |
| Retired | June 1945 |
| Developed from | DFS 54 |
The DFS 228 was a rocket-powered, high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft designed by the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS - "German Research Institute for Sailplane Flight") during World War II. By the end of the war, the aircraft had only flown in the form of two unpowered prototypes.
Design and development
The DFS 228 was designed by Felix Kracht and a first prototype was completed in March 1944; it was undergoing gliding tests by that August, carried aloft piggyback and strut-mounted atop a Dornier Do 217.[1] The aircraft was of conventional sailplane arrangement with long, slender wings and designed to land on a retractable skid mounted on its belly. The nose of the aircraft could be separated in an emergency and formed a self-contained, pressurized escape capsule for the pilot.[2] Because of problems with the cabin pressurization system, the second prototype accommodated the pilot in a prone position.[2]
Variants
- DFS 54
- Experimental glider with a pressure cabin, oxygen, cabin heating and insulation for high altitude flying.
- DFS 228
- Powered variant of the DFS 54 with a Walter HWK 509D rocket propulsion unit.
Specifications (DFS 228 estimated)
Data from [3]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 10.58 m (34 ft 9 in)
- Wingspan: 17.56 m (57 ft 7 in)
- Wing area: 30 m2 (320 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 1,650 kg (3,638 lb)
- Gross weight: 4,200 kg (9,259 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Walter HWK 509D liquid-fuelled rocket motor, 14.71 kN (3,310 lbf) thrust at sea level
- 16.18 kN (3,637 lbf) at operational altitude
Performance
- Maximum speed: 900 km/h (560 mph, 490 kn) at sea level
- Range: 1,050 km (650 mi, 570 nmi) maximum with intermittent powered flight
- Launch altitude: 10,000 m (33,000 ft)
- Glide descent altitude: 12,000 m (39,000 ft)
- Service ceiling: 22,860 m (75,000 ft)
- Absolute ceiling: 25,000 m (82,000 ft)
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
Related lists
- List of military aircraft of Germany
- List of World War II military aircraft of Germany
- List of World War II Luftwaffe aircraft prototype projects
- List of rocket planes
References
Notes
- ↑ "DFS 228 Reconnaisance Glider". http://www.walterwerke.co.uk/walter/dfs228.htm.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ford, Roger (2013). Germany's Secret Weapons of World War II. London, United Kingdom: Amber Books. pp. 224. ISBN 9781909160569.
- ↑ Green, William (2010). Aircraft of the Third Reich (1st ed.). London: Aerospace Publishing Limited. pp. 187–188. ISBN 978-1-900732-06-2.
Bibliography
- Green, William (2010). Aircraft of the Third Reich (1st ed.). London: Aerospace Publishing Limited. pp. 187–188. ISBN 978-1-900732-06-2.
- Green, William. Warplanes of the Third Reich. London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 1970 (fourth impression 1979). ISBN 0-356-02382-6.
- Myhra, David. DFS 228. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2000. ISBN 0-7643-1203-0.
- Smith, J.Richard and Kay, Anthony. German Aircraft of the Second World War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1972 (third impression 1978). ISBN 0-370-00024-2.
- Wood, Tony and Gunston, Bill. Hitler's Luftwaffe: A pictorial history and technical encyclopedia of Hitler's air power in World War II. London: Salamander Books Ltd., 1977. ISBN 0-86101-005-1.
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