Lippisch P.13

Lippisch p. 13 History

The tandem engine arrangement was a unique aspect of WWII fighter design, perhaps best represented by the German Dornier Do 335 "Pfeil" heavy fighter. Another entry into this class of aircraft in November 1942 was the Lippisch P.13, which was designed around the requirements of a high-speed bomber.

The design of the aircraft (unrelated to the Lippisch-designed P. 13A and P. 13B aircraft described on this page) is credited to Josef Hubert, despite its name being Alexander Lippisch - at the time Hubert was head of the L division at Messerschmitt in Lisbon Under the leadership of Pisch himself.

The layout of the P. 13 was largely traditional, with a single pilot housed under a teardrop-shaped canopy near the midship. The main-wing aircraft was also placed near the midship, and the empennage consisted of a circular vertical tail and an additional pelvic fin. The landing gear is wheeled and retractable, although it has a rear tug arrangement.

As expected, the main legs are located under the wing near the root, and the tail wheel is attached under most of the tail.

The design has two unique features: first, the engine pairing, a Daimler-Benz DB605B inline piston unit in the nose, and a second DB605B in the tail, which are located in front of the vertical tail, while the spinners extend to Outside of that plane (powered by the shaft). One engine was set to "pull" the plane, while the other was set to "push" it - the combined power made for an exceptionally fast and powerful plane (as evidenced by the Do 335 that flew later in the war).

Each engine produces 1,475 horsepower and drives a three-blade propeller unit, with a total of five internal tanks supplying fuel to both engines.

The second unique quality of this aircraft is its main wing, which has varying degrees of swept back for low and high speed flight. The appendages have two levels of sweep: 18 degrees near the wing root, increasing to 38 degrees beyond the wing root.

There was sufficient usable area within the main aircraft and no horizontal stabilizer was used - so the P.13 was considered a "tailless" aircraft design.

The P.13 should rely on its inherent speed to get past any enemy air defenses, including ground artillery and air interceptors. Therefore, no defensive weapons fit into the design. The only proposed weapon is a hardpoint (centerline) under the fuselage for a single conventional drop bomb.

Work on the P.13 came to an abrupt end in April 1943 when the L Division was closed by Messerschmitt, which ended the design work on several forward-looking projects including the P.13. Alexander Lippisch then moved to Vienna, where he worked at the Vienna Institute of Aeronautics and developed many new ideas, some of which influenced Cold War-era aircraft design, mainly for Americans.

As designed, the P. 13 has a wingspan of 42 feet, a length of 30.9 feet and a height of 16.8 feet. No performance information is given.

Specification

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Production

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