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Heinkel P.1073 (Strahljager)

1945 WORLD WAR 2 X-PLANE

History

To defend against possible Allied single-seat jet fighter development during WWII, using their vaunted Messerschmitt Me 262 "Schwalbe" single-seat, twin-engine fighter jet, German authorities are already looking for a high-performance successor that will utilize a thin main plane with sharp swept wings, advanced aerodynamics and a twin-turbojet propulsion scheme, and for Heinkel engineers , in July 1944, this led to the "P. 1073" project - a die that eventually influenced the design of what would become the He 162 "Volksjager" - "People's Fighter" - detailed elsewhere on this page.

The P. 1073 mimics some of the form and function to be accomplished in the He 162: the single-person cockpit sits at the very forward end of the well-contoured fuselage, with excellent visibility from the nose. The shape of the fuselage tapers to the rear, and a "V-shaped" fin arrangement will be installed - completely negating the use of a horizontal stabilizer. The main thin-chord plane is well swept back, noticeably long, and positioned forward of the center of the boat.

These elements are further mounted centrally on both sides of the hull.

The propulsion scheme is quite unique compared to WWII jet fighters: a turbojet will be housed in a monolithic shell above the mid-fuselage, a second unit will be placed under the cockpit floor - this is to improve the pilot The protection of the incident during rescue operations improves the pilot's visibility outside the cockpit and reduces drag associated with underwing engines such as the Me 262. Since the tricycle landing gear was planned for ground operations, the nose cone was also placed under the cockpit - this required the submerged turbojet to be mounted slightly offset to starboard to allow for the nose cone (which would even be slightly offset to port).

The main legs will be recessed under each wing member.

Proposed power will come from 2 Heinkel HeS 011 turbojets, each providing 3,305 lbs of thrust. Since these engines had not yet reached mass production, 2 x Junkers Jumo 004 turbojets were temporarily installed, providing a lower power rating of 2,237 pounds of thrust.

The fuselage is 33.9 feet long, with a wingspan of 39.2 feet and a height of 11 feet. Curb weight is 9,722 lbs and MTOW is 13,500 lbs.

Estimated performance includes a top speed of 630 mph, a maximum operating range of 620 miles, and a service ceiling of up to 46,000 feet (all assuming HeS 011 turbojets are installed, otherwise these figures are from a significantly reduced Junker type) .

Aircraft may optionally carry a pair of integral underwing fuel tanks for increased range.

In terms of armament, the fighter carries a 3 x 20mm MG151/20 automatic cannon in the nose, one to port and two to starboard. Alternatively, the weapon is also detailed as a 2 x 30mm MK108 autocannon (all nose mounted).

The original P. 1073 design was the above-mentioned "P. 1073. 01. 4", the evolution of the design became "P. 1073. 01. 8", which was designed as a high-altitude reconnaissance platform. In this quote, a raised wing with a higher aspect ratio is planned. The third and final notable iteration of the design became the "P.

1073.02", with the main difference being the use of a forward-swept wing main aircraft layout. At least 20 branches of P. 1073 are said to have ever existed.

Ultimately, none of these forms were accepted by the RLM (German Aviation Ministry), but the idea of ??P.1073 was advanced into He 162 in October 1944. The aircraft was changed to a single-engine design (back-mounted turbojet) with twin rudder tails and a main aircraft with unswept wings - due to the defeat of the German war, the aircraft became as easy to maneuver as possible in 1945 And maintenance. Three hundred and twenty (320) copies were eventually produced, and the compact fighter completed its maiden flight on December 6, 1944.

It entered service as early as January 1945, but the design had little impact on the final outcome of the war - Germany was defeated in May 1945.

If the P. 1073 project were to proceed in its original form after the conceptual phase, there would undoubtedly be questions about its unorthodox arrangement - which would be noted by the RLM authorities - which would certainly be at the center of the question of gravity (CoG ) during testing. There's also the danger of the pilot ejecting before the back entry opening - which causes its own problems, especially at high speeds.