Model photo of the Fw Triebflugel
This Focke-Wulf VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing)
fighter/interceptor was designed in September 1944. The three untapered
wings rotated around the fuselage and had a gradually decreasing pitch
towards the wingtips, thus acting like a giant propeller. At the end of
each wing was a Pabst ramjet, Since ramjets do not operate at slow speeds,
either the rotor had to be driven by a fuselage mounted takeoff-booster
or small Walter rocket engines could have been fitted to each ramjet pod.
The pilot sat in a cockpit near the nose and the armament consisted of
two MK 103 30mm cannon with 100 rounds plus two MG 151/20 20mm cannon with
250 rounds. Although the Triebflugel was not constructed, a wind tunnel
model was tested up to a speed of Mach 0.9.
Model photo of the Fw Triebflugel
Span: 11.5 m (37' 8.8") Length: 9.15 m (30' 0") Max. Speed: 1000 km/h (621 mph)
This cutaway drawing shows some of the internal workings of the Focke-Wulf
Triebflugel....