Lippisch P.13B

Lippisch p. 13B History

Lippisch P.13B is one of two related delta wing tailless aircraft designs pioneered by German aeronautical engineer Alexander Lippisch. One of the most unique aircraft of the entire war, the early P-13A used a triangle shape, with the pilot sitting in the cockpit located at the base of the tail. The P. 13A was powered by a coal-fired ramjet engine drawn in through the "nose" of the aircraft, and was nothing more than a design study.

Likewise, the P. 13B followed, which never seemed to make it past the drawing board.

The situation in Germany deteriorated in 1943-1944, to the point where the availability of war resources increasingly stifled its combat capability. Therefore, all new developments are carefully scrutinized by the authorities as they should have immediate military value. Lippisch knew this from his work on the Messerschmitt Me 163 "Komet" rocket-powered interceptor project, and used it to advance the design of the P. 13A and P. 13B.

At the time of the P.13B, the status quo remained the same - developing the aircraft under the guise of providing the Luftwaffe with a viable, war-winning, production-friendly fighter.

Drawing on the experience of its earlier models, the DM-1 (an unpowered research aircraft) and the P.13A, the P.13B evolved into a delta-wing plane form - albeit modified to enforce a more traditional and traditional layout along the line for single-seater driving The cabin has a well-defined nose area. Dual rudder configurations are used to provide greater stability in these extended tails on the high-speed flight envelope and trailing edge of the delta wing. The P.13B was also intended to carry an unconventional landing geara wheeled, steerable nose strut that supports the front of the plane, and skids mounted on the wingtips to support the rearperhaps to toy with the fact that the P.13B will be in no Ready to run the idea of ??the airport. The dimensions of the aircraft include a wingspan of 6.9 meters, a length of 7.2 meters and a height of 1.5 meters.

The suggested weapon is 2 x 30mm MK 108 guns.

The coal-fired ramjet power source of the P. 13A was retained, but modified in the P. 13B to accommodate a cylindrical "basket" containing a supply of soft lignite. This basket is suspended within the engine ductwork, inside the center mass of the aircraft. The basket is designed to rotate at 60 revolutions per minute to generate the necessary thrust. A liquid-fueled gas flame will provide the required combustion source. Intake takes place through a pair of rectangular air intakes on either side of the cockpit, and the exhaust becomes a rectangular opening at the rear of the aircraft between the two tail wings.

The Kornach "Lorin" ramjet will be the primary means of propulsion, but its ramjet design means it needs extra power to accelerate the plane - the ramjet will take over after 150 mph. Rocket boosters are likely to be used to provide initial takeoff thrust.

Apart from these details, there is little official evidence to support further improvements to the P.13B design (some drawings show perspective views of the aircraft and the internal placement of the coal basket). In any case, the Air Force program was still several years away from actually bearing fruit, and the pressures of the war had little impact on its progress.

It inevitably became one of the many German "paper planes" that emerged from the fighting in WWII.

The performance figures given on this page are purely estimates by the authors.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes