Gotha Go P.60C

Gotha Go p. 60C History

The Gotha Project 60C Night Fighter was another postwar "paper plane" design attempt to protect the Reich from a mob of enemy bombers that attacked Germany with impunity in the final months of World War II. Like other similar post-war developments of the time, the aircraft was designed to be powered by turbojet and rocket engines for superior performance at high altitudes, and it would go into production if the war extended for a few months.

However, the 60C project never got past the design stage, although many believed that if the war continued beyond the summer of 1945, the genre would get a "green light". That being said, no operational examples of the 60C project were ever produced, and the aircraft can only remain in the pages of military aviation history, nothing more.

In the spring of 1945, the war turned into a clear defeat for Germany. The daily and nightly Allied bombing raids undoubtedly had an impact on Germany's various warfare skills, and now the main focus was on Germany's own defense - the Allies were now closing in from the west and east. As a result, the Luftwaffe has made many frantic efforts to create a new generation of fighters and bombers using newly discovered rocket and jet propulsion technology. To combat the scourge of Allied bombers that plagued German infrastructure and factories, the Air Ministry issued a new request on February 27, 1945, focused on the development of a specialized all-weather jet-powered night fighter. The aircraft will use twin turbines for high speed and high performance, artillery weapons against large target bombers, and radar equipment to track and strike targets in the dark or in bad weather conditions.

Top speed should not be lower than 900 km/h (about 559 mph).

While Project 60C was an interesting option to win the Air Force contract, some felt it necessary to question the viability of certain design elements inherent in Gotha's submission. This includes the unconventional placement of the engines when it makes sense to fit them in the actual airframe, keeping the aerodynamic shape in check. The point of contention is that airflow through the leading edge of the fuselage and the leading edge of the wing into the rear-mounted, externally mounted engine armature affects the performance of the engine.

Gotha chief engineer Dr. Rudolf Gothert successfully demonstrated the improvement in high-speed performance.

The war in Germany ended in May 1945, although work had begun. Hitler committed suicide and the Germans either surrendered in droves or fought to the end. The Soviets conquered the heart of Berlin, officially ending the war in Europe. With the war over, the hopes of many of the designs still on the drawing boards of various German airlines were dashed. As such, Project 60C exists only on paper, and no known models or prototypes have been built.

Although the Air Ministry's proposal never declared a clear win, many observers suspect that the Gotha Project 60C has the greatest advantage and is the clear favorite to win the race.

In addition to a night-fighter version of Project 60C, Gotha engineers have plans for a day-fighter version without a radar system. In this design, the nose is modified to be a more aerodynamically efficient "arrow-shaped" hollow component (due to the absence of radar), and the crew will be reduced to one or two crew members.

Other than that, the basic design layout will remain largely unchanged.

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