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The DFS 228 was a rocket-powered, high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft designed by the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS - "German Research Institute for Sailplane Flight") during World War II. By the end of the war, the aircraft had only flown in the form of two unpowered prototypes.

DFS 228
Role	High-altitude aerial reconnaissance Type of aircraft
Manufacturer	Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug
Designer	Felix Kracht
First flight	August 1944
Retired	June 1945
Status	Scrapped 1947
Primary user	Luftwaffe
Number built	2
Developed from	DFS 54
Variants	DFS 346

Design and development

Initial design of the DFS 228 was undertaken before the outbreak of war as a research aircraft, the DFS 54, aimed at developing a high-altitude escape system for sailplanes. The project was suspended by the commencement of hostilities, but was revived in 1940 when the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM - "Reich Aviation Ministry") delivered the DFS with a requirement for a rocket-powered reconnaissance aircraft.^{[citation needed]}

The advantages of a sailplane for aerial reconnaissance included its silence, its low speed relative to the ground (allowing for higher-quality photography), and its potential ability to loiter above an area of interest. The project gave the DFS the opportunity to investigate two additional areas that it was interested in: the effects of wing sweep on sailplane design, and supersonic flight.^{[citation needed]}

The DFS 228 was designed by Felix Kracht and a first prototype was completed in March 1944; it was undergoing gliding tests by that August, carried aloft piggyback and strut-mounted atop a Dornier Do 217. The aircraft was of conventional sailplane arrangement with long, slender wings and designed to land on a retractable skid mounted on its belly. The nose of the aircraft could be separated in an emergency and formed a self-contained, pressurized escape capsule for the pilot.[1] Because of problems with the cabin pressurization system, the second prototype accommodated the pilot in a prone position.[1]

Forty flights were made with the prototypes, and installation of a rocket was to have taken place in February 1945, but the project fell by the wayside as the war situation became more desperate. The second prototype was destroyed in an air raid in May 1945, and the first prototype was captured by U.S. troops in June. In 1946 it was sent to the United Kingdom for study where it was apparently scrapped in 1947, although its exact fate is unknown.^{[citation needed]}

Variants

This section does not cite any sources. (January 2021)

DFS 54

Experimental glider with a pressure cabin, oxygen, cabin heating and insulation for high altitude flying.

DFS 228

Powered variant of the DFS 54 with a Walter HWK 509D rocket propulsion unit.

Specifications (DFS 228 estimated)

Data from [2]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 10.58 m (34 ft 9 in)
• Wingspan: 17.56 m (57 ft 7 in)
• Wing area: 30 m² (320 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 1,650 kg (3,638 lb)
• Gross weight: 4,200 kg (9,259 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Walter HWK 509D liquid-fuelled rocket motor, 14.71 kN (3,310 lbf) thrust at sea level
  

16.18 kN (3,637 lbf) at operational altitude

Performance

• Maximum speed: 900 km/h (560 mph, 490 kn) at sea level
• Range: 1,050 km (650 mi, 570 nmi) maximum with intermittent powered flight
  
• Launch altitude: 10,000 m (32,808 ft)
• Glide descent altitude: 12,000 m (39,370 ft)
• Service ceiling: 22,860 m (75,000 ft)
  
• Absolute ceiling: 25,000 m (82,021 ft)

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Lockheed U-2

Related lists

• List of military aircraft of Germany
• List of World War II military aircraft of Germany
• List of World War II Luftwaffe aircraft prototype projects
• List of rocket planes

References

Notes

Bibliography

На других языках

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[de] DFS 228

Die DFS 228 „Narwal“ war ein experimentelles Höhen-Fernaufklärungsflugzeug mit Raketenantrieb, das die Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug während des Zweiten Weltkriegs entwickelte. Das Flugzeug sollte auf eine Höhe von etwa 10.000 m oder mehr gebracht werden, dort sollte der Raketenantrieb gezündet werden und das Flugzeug auf etwa 20.000–23.000 m bringen. Man nahm an, dass das Flugzeug in großer Höhe geschützt vor feindlichen Angriffen etwa 1.000 km Entfernung im Gleitflug zurücklegen könnte, wenn das Raketentriebwerk immer wieder kurz gezündet würde, um die Höhe zu halten. Aus 12.000 m Höhe war ohne Raketeneinsatz oder Aufwinde (thermische oder in Leewelle) ein Gleitflug von etwa 300 km möglich.[1]

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- [en] DFS 228

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[fr] DFS 228

Le planeur DFS 228 était un aéronef destiné à la reconnaissance en haute altitude. Il avait été développé par l'institut allemand DFS (Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug) pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Il devait être amené par un avion-porteur à une altitude d'environ 10 000 m ou plus. Après le largage, un moteur-fusée aurait dû lui faire rallier une altitude d'environ 20 000 à 23 000 m. On considérait qu'il y serait à l'abri des défenses antiaériennes adverses et pourrait franchir une distance de 1 000 km en vol plané pour effectuer des missions de reconnaissance à condition de rallumer le moteur-fusée pendant de courtes périodes pour regagner de la hauteur.

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[it] DFS 228

Il DFS 228 fu un aereo da ricognizione a razzo progettato dal Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug durante la seconda guerra mondiale. Causa il termine delle ostilità, l'aereo fu realizzato solo in due prototipi non armati.

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