Lippisch P.13a
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| Lippisch P.13a | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Manufacturer | |
| Status | Project |
| Number built | 1 |
| Developed from | Lippisch DM-1 |
| Variants | Convair XF-92 |
The Lippisch P.13a was an experimental ramjet-powered delta wing interceptor aircraft designed in late 1944 by Dr. Alexander Lippisch for Nazi Germany. The aircraft never made it past the drawing board, but testing of wind-tunnel models showed that the design had extraordinary stability into the Mach 2.6 range.
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[edit] Design and development
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 320 kph), whether by using a RATO unit or being towed. The air passing through the ramjet would take the fumes from the burning coal towards the rear where they would mix under high pressure with clean air taken from a separate intake. The resulting mixture of gas would then be directed out through a rear nozzle to provide thrust. A burner and drum were built and tested successfully in Vienna by the design team before the end of the war.
It is not known what armament would have been carried by the P.13a; the MK 103 cannon would have been too heavy and large for such a small aircraft and it is possible that one or two large-calibre machineguns would have been used.
At the end of the war even the prototype DM-1 test glider had not been finished when it was captured by US forces. It was ordered to be completed by Lippisch's team and was then shipped to the USA where it was test-flown. Reportedly the results were very positive and lessons learned were incorporated into NASA's research aircraft of the 1950s and on.
Film footage exists which appears to show a ramjet configuration P.13a gliding in for a landing, but it is not known whether it represents a scale test model or an unpowered glider version. The craft in the footage is not the simplified DM-1 glider as it clearly shows the nose-mounted ramjet intake tube and other features depicted in design drawings of the powered fighter.[1]
After the war, Lippisch, working with American aircraft designer Convair, developed and tested the XF-92 based on his designs, leading to the eventual adoption of the F-102 Delta Dagger and its successor, the F-106 Delta Dart.
[edit] Specifications (P.13a, as designed)
General characteristics
- Crew: one
- Length: 6.70 m (22 ft 0 in)
- Wingspan: 6.00 m (19 ft 9 in)
- Height: 3.25 m (10 ft 8 in)
- Wing area: 20.0 m² (215 ft²)
- Loaded weight: 2,295 kg (5,060 lb)
- Powerplant: 1× Kronach Lorin coal-burning ramjet
Performance
- Maximum speed: 1650 km/h (1025 mph)
- Range: 621 km (1,000 miles)
- Wing loading: 115 kg/m² (24 lb/ft²)
This aircraft article is missing some (or all) of its specifications. If you have a source, you can help Wikipedia by adding them.[edit] Notes
- ^ Lippisch P13a Supersonic Ramjet Fighter footage (YouTube video).
[edit] References
- Hyland, Gary (1999). Last Talons of the Eagle. Headline, pp. 185 - 187. ISBN 074725964X.
[edit] External links
- Luft 46 Article on the P.13a
- Lippisch P13a Supersonic Ramjet Fighter footage (YouTube)
- Model of the P.13a
[edit] See also
List of military aircraft of Germany
List of World War II military aircraft of Germany
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