The Fliegerfaust (lit. "pilot fist","plane fist", or "aviator fist"), also known as the "Luftfaust" (lit. "air fist"), was a German prototype of an unguided, man-portable, multi-barreled ground-to-air rocket launcher, designed to destroy enemy ground attack planes.

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (December 2012)

Fliegerfaust/Luftfaust
A replica Fliegerfaust B
Type	Surface-to-air unguided missile system
Place of origin	Nazi Germany
Service history
In service	1945
Wars	World War II
Production history
Manufacturer	HASAG
Produced	1945
No. built	Only a few produced, 10,000 launchers and 4 million rockets were ordered.
Variants	Fliegerfaust A, Fliegerfaust B
Specifications
Mass	6.5 kg (loaded)
Length	150 cm
Cartridge	standard 20 mm shells fitted with rocket engines
Caliber	20 mm
Muzzle velocity	350 m/s
Feed system	9-round loaders
Sights	simple iron sight

Overview

Designed by HASAG (Hugo Schneider AG) of Leipzig in 1944, the Luftfaust was produced in two different versions.

The first version, the Fliegerfaust A, had four 20mm barrels. These fired 20mm projectiles weighing 90g and containing 19g of explosive, propelled by a small rocket.

The second version, the Fliegerfaust B, added another 5 barrels (for a total of 9 barrels), and increased the barrels' length. The weapon therefore had a total length of 150cm and weighed 6.5kg. During the firing sequence the first 4 rounds from every other barrel were fired immediately, while the other five fired with a 0.1 second delay. The delay was meant to prevent the projectiles from getting damaged by the previous launches' exhaust fumes, which could also interfere with their courses. Some sources,^{[clarification needed]} however, state that the barrels were fired individually with a delay of 2 seconds between each ignition.

Stabilization of the rocket during flight was achieved by four small angled holes drilled around the exhaust. A small proportion of the rocket's thrust was thus converted into rotational thrust, spinning the missile along its axis. This imparted stability through spin, like rifling in a gun barrel.

A six barrel 30 mm prototype was also constructed.

Combat use

The Fliegerfaust was not a successful weapon because of its small effective range. The dispersion of its projectiles proved to be too large, and the anticipated range of 500 meters was never attained. Although 10,000 launchers and 4 million rockets were ordered in 1945, only 80 of these weapons were ever used in combat trials by a unit based at Saarbrücken. However, a 1945 photograph of the Hotel Adlon, directly opposite the Brandenburg gate in Berlin, clearly shows at least 3 expended Fliegerfaust B's lying in the rubble.[1]

References

• Fitzsimons, Bernard (1978). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare. Columbia House. p. 962.
• Hogg, Ian (2003). Niemiecka tajna broń podczas drugiej wojny światowej (in Polish). Poznań: Zysk i S-ka. ISBN 83-7150-935-9.

На других языках

[de] Fliegerfaust

[it] Luftfaust/Fliegerfaust

[ru] Fliegerfaust (собирательный термин)