For the 1944 Jägernotprogramm (Fighter Emergency Programme) Arado presented their E.381 Kleinstjäger (miniature fighter) design to the RLM in November 1944. It was going to be air-lifted in carry-tow to the altittude the Arado Ar.234C.
At a height of 1000m higher than the bombers it was going to be released in order for it to start the initial approach in a high speed shallow dive of around 820km/h (510mph). It could glide for around 20km (12miles) towards the target and it's small size made it a very hard target to hit.
It was presented in three variants all of them sharing some common features.
- E.381/I: It had a circular cross-section fuselage with a small round window in the front in order to let the pilot see through. It was armoured by a 5mm shell and, being as tiny as it was, the pilot had to lie in prone position being the cockpit really cramped. Two bulges were at the sides of the fuselage in order to acommodate the pilot's elbows. By his legs there were two C-Stoff fuel tanks and by his feets a single T-Stoff fuel tank. The wings were straight and above them there was the 30mm MK108 cannon with 60 rounds which was the only weapon of this airplane. The rocket engine exhausted below the double fin tail. A retractable skid was lowered in order to land it together with a drag parachute that was fitted in a hatch at the top rear. It could only be accessed via a hatch located above the cockpit so the pilot had to enter it before it was attached to the Ar.234C making it impossible to scape in case of an emergency.
- E.381/II: The second variant was identical to the first one albeit a little bit longer. The front canopy was enlarged in order to give a better sight from the still very cramped cockpit. It was also accessed by the top of the fuselage and was also armed with a 30mm MK108 cannon with 45 rounds. It was landed just like the first version, with a skid and a drag parachute.
- E.381/III: In this version the design was enlarged and the fuselage was shaped like a triangular cross-section, presenting that way an even smaller frontal cross-section. The step for the gun in upper section was eliminated making that way the wing shoulder mounted. The wing tips were turned downwards in order to act as skids when the plane landed and tipped from side to side. Instead of being armed with a cannon, it was armed with six RZ65 or RZ73 spin-stabilized rockets which were fired through the wing leading-edges. The tail was redesigned to place it slightly higher than the fuselage. Both the fin and the rudder were also changed to a simpler rectangular shape. The landing method was the same as the previous two variants. The problem of entering or exiting was partially solved by adding a side-opening hatch located at the starboard of the frontern part of the fuselage.
It was going to be attached to the Arado Ar.234C and, in order to clear the Ar.234 undercarriage upon retraction, it had to be mounted aft of the carrier's center of aircraft. That meant that the E.381 had to give lift from the very beginning of the take-off process.
Giving the small size and simpleness of the E.381, heat electricity and telephone links were provided by the carrier airplane, this last one was used to help the pilot of the E.381 to make any neede trim changes.
Once landed it was very easy to dismantle it and to load it into a lorry. It took around 600 man-hour to build one but only one mock-up wooden frame was built without any power-plant installed, however it's rumoured that one unmanned prototype was built and flown towed aloft. Anyway, the RLM decided against the parasite fighter program, cancelling every project of this kind.
Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arado_E.381
2. http://www.luft46.com/arado/are381.html
3. Midland Editions - Luftwaffe Secret projects - Ground Attack & Special Purpose Aircraft.
great post thanks WD!
ReplyDeletebest,
bonline