Focke-Achgelis Fa 269

Focke-Achgelis Fa 269 History

Focke-Achgelis was founded in 1937 before World War II and marked the partnership between Heinrich Focke and Gerd Achgelis. Previously, the pair were involved in the production of the Focke-Wulf Fw 61 helicopter, two of which were built and were successful as technology demonstrators.

The new joint venture culminated in the 1941 Fa 223 "Drache" ("Dragon") helicopter, of which about 20 twin-rotor systems were produced for Luftwaffe service during World War II. In the same year, Focke-Achgelis was asked to carry out a design study for a point-defense fighter jet serving the Luftwaffe and incorporating helicopter elements to meet "vertical take-off and landing" (VTOL) qualities.

The VTOL aircraft concept has fascinated aerospace engineers and war planners for some time because it requires little space on the runway. The new design combines the vertical capabilities of helicopters with the forward capabilities of front-line fighter jets, which will deal a serious blow to Allied fighters and bombers encroaching on German airspace. The designers of Focke-Acheglis returned with a unique version of the VTOL concept, using a tilt-rotor arrangement.

More traditional hulls use heavy glass in the cockpit and nose for good visibility. The fixed mid-wing monoplane is planned to be used to control the wing-mounted main rotor unit. At the rear will be a very traditional monoplane rear wing.

The main feature of this aircraft - designated "Fa 269" - was a three-blade propeller unit mounted on the wing on a "variable pitch" rod. When landing or taking off, the units will rotate downward.

When transitioning to the forward flight phase, these units will occupy their usual positions ahead of the leading edge of the wing. To provide the necessary clearance for the downward-facing rotors, fairly long landing gear legs were required, which made the Fa 269 look rather bulky on the ground or in hover.

However, the legs are designed to be retractable to facilitate better aerodynamics of the forward flight envelope. Physical design specifications include an overall length of 29.2 feet and a wingspan of 32.8 feet. Suggested weapons are 2 x 30mm Mk 108 guns.

Power comes from a single BMW 801 series air-cooled radial piston engine recessed in the rear of the fuselage. The engine was already installed on several German fighter jets in the conflict and provided between 1,550 and 2,000 horsepower. Nearly 30,000 units were produced during the war. One of the most famous applications of the BMW 801 is the classic Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter. Since the BMW engine is placed behind the cockpit, a driveshaft is used to connect the engine to the rotors mounted on the wings, and a gearbox is used to manage each system.

According to reports, the top speed is estimated at 355 mph.

In any case, the Fa 269 never "landed". When the development facility was directly hit by an Allied bomb during the raid, work went fairly well. A full-scale mockup has reportedly been completed, as have some powertrain components, while a wealth of data has been collected to prove some concepts.

This major setback proved to be a disastrous and insurmountable delay, leading to the official cancellation of the product in 1944.

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