Blohm and Voss Bv P.209.02

History

1944 caused countless problems for the Germans during World War II (1939-1945). Such was the pain of Allied air superiority that several steps were taken to prevent casualties including a firm commitment to developing rocket- and turbojet-powered fighters and interceptors.

One of the more unique design approaches that emerged from the work of German aeronautical engineers was the use of forward-swept wings in some seriously considered aircraft designs. One of the most famous of these applications is the Junkers Ju 287 bomber (described in detail elsewhere on this page), which ended the war as a prototype, and one of the lesser-known Dr.

Richard Vogt's "Project" became a 209-inch fighter under the Blohm and Voss brand labels.

The development of the new compact fighter jet stemmed from a directive from the German Aviation Ministry that brought together the forces of the local aviation industry in a meeting - their goal was to address the need for high-speed fighter jets ("Schnelljager"). Simplicity is still key, so a pilot is needed to operate the aircraft, while a turbojet provides the necessary propulsion.

All other aspects can be freely designed by engineers, although focusing on what war materials are available to builders will remain an important consideration going forward. The Air Force wants companies including Blohm and Voss, Focke-Wulf, Heinkel and Messerschmitt to agree on an overall design direction for the fighter, although the Air Force will also accept individual applications from each company directly as needed.

The engine of choice was a Heinkel-Hirth HeS 011 series turbojet with 2,865 pounds of thrust.

Vogt and his team developed plans for such an aircraft and submitted their proposal on November 13, 1944. Two proposed models emerged - P. 209.1 and P. 209.2:

The P. 209. 1 had a short, teardrop-shaped fuselage with a far-forward cockpit under a simple two-piece bubble canopy. The engine air intake formed a truncated nose, and the exhaust was a short distance aft. No real tail is used, making it a true "tailless aircraft". Of particular importance were the wing main planes, which were mounted low and swept aft with downwardly swept tips.

The landing gear is a fairly modern tricycle product, and the armament is concentrated on up to 3 x 30mm MK-108 guns mounted on the edges of the air intakes. Top speed is estimated at 560 mph.

The second submission of P. 209.2 was a bigger departure, although it retained the nose air intakes, pilot placement, and tricycle landing gear of P. 209.1. She received a deeper hull (with more room). internal fuel volume), the tailstock is located above the engine exhaust. The empennage consists of a vertical fin and a low-mounted horizontal plane, and these aircraft display a slight dihedral (downward angle), while all fin surfaces are swept aft. The engine casing ended before the end of the plane, depleting itself at the bottom of the tailstock structure. The main difference seen on P. 209.2 is the wing main planes, which are now swept forward at a 35 degree angle.

Dr Vogt sees this as a good solution to combat compressibility, the change in air density around an aircraft, especially in high-speed flight areas. Additional benefits will come from increased stability, rotational recovery and reduced stress on the wing elements, allowing for the introduction of lighter wings. Dimensions include a length of 8.8 meters, a wingspan of 8.1 meters and a height of 3.2 meters. Vogt estimated that in this configuration, his small plane could reach speeds of 615 miles per hour at altitudes as high as 30,000 feet.

The rate of climb is estimated at 1,550 feet per minute, with service capped at 39,700 feet.

At the end of the war in May 1945, no designs were selected for further work as the Air Ministry had little time to work. However, until the end of the war, the prototype was still in the early stages of construction with few other initiatives.

Specification

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Production

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Performance

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Changes