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Arado E.381

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Arado E.381
An Arado E.381 suspended under the belly of the Ar 234 mother ship.
An E.381 mockup suspended under the belly of an Ar 234 mother ship
Role Parasite fighter
National origin Germany
Manufacturer Arado
Status Abandoned
Primary user Luftwaffe
Number built 0 powered aircraft,[1] 4 unmanned wooden airframes.[2]

The Arado E.381 was a parasite fighter aircraft (Kleinstjäger – "smallest fighter") designed by Arado Flugzeugwerke in December 1944 for the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany during World War II. Each of the three proposed designs had fuel capacity for only two target runs, after which the pilot would have needed to glide without power to the ground and land on skids.[3] The development was cancelled due to lack of funds and official support. Had the Arado E.381 been completed it would have been carried aloft by and launched from an Arado Ar 234 carrier aircraft to attack Allied aircraft. It was designed with a rocket engine to quickly close and fire on American and British bombers.[1][3][4] To survive close pursuits, the E.381 required the pilot to lie in a prone position, and was designed with the narrowest frontal cross section possible: 0.45 square meters (4.8 sq ft), or approximately a quarter of the cross section of the Messerschmitt Bf 109.[nb 1]

Development

Near the end of World War II, the German aircraft manufacturers Arado, BMW, Gotha, Heinkel, Henschel, and Zeppelin submitted design proposals for small rocket- or jet-powered aircraft intended for pursuit or ground attack duties. All these proposals exploited the Luftwaffe's concept of "gaining a tactical advantage by placing excessive stress on the man in the cockpit".[4] The g-forces envisioned in these proposals were feasible for aircraft structures but exceeded human capabilities in a normal sitting position. The designers attempted to alleviate this constraint by placing the pilot in the prone position, which increased the sustainable g-force limit. This also allowed a reduction in fuselage size, weight, and drag. A smaller cross section also decreased the likelihood of being hit by enemy gunners, and Arado exploited this opportunity to the fullest. According to their "specific design philosophy",[4] the interceptor was designed to fly close to bomber formations and open fire from its MK 108 cannon at point-blank range.[4] Parasite aircraft were unusual for aviation.[3]

The E.381 began in a proposal from Arado Flugzeugwerke to the Air Ministry for a parasite fighter, carried on another aircraft, to destroy Allied bombers. Three variants of the E.381, named Mark I, II and III, were designed. Each version was essentially an armored tube provided with armament and a Walter HWK 109-509 rocket engine for power. The aircraft would have carried enough fuel for two approaches to the target as well as only sixty[6] (some say forty-five) 30 mm (1.2 in) rounds.[4] After using all his fuel during an attack it was intended that the pilot would glide the fighter to the ground, deploy its drogue parachute, and land the aircraft on a primitive skid landing gear.[4] None of the designs were ever completed, though some wooden airframes and a single mockup were constructed in 1944 to provide prone-position training for pilots. This is because the aircraft was cancelled, due to a lack of funds, mother aircraft Ar 234s and a lack of interest by the Ministry of Aviation[1][2][2][7][8]

Variants

Arado E.381/I

A graphic view of the Arado E.381
Arado E.381/I

The first design, the Mark I, had a fuselage with a circular cross section and a small round window in the nose for pilot vision. A 5-millimeter (0.20 in) armored shell protected most of the fuselage. The pilot would lie in a prone position in the very cramped cockpit behind a removable 140-millimeter (5.5 in) bullet-resistant glass screen mounted in front of the pilot. Two small bulges were located on the sides of the fuselage for the pilot's elbows. Three C-Stoff tanks surrounded the pilot, with the T-Stoff tank in the center section between the pilot and the engine. The aircraft's straight wings had a blister for a single MK 108 30 mm (1.2 in) cannon and 60 (other writers say 45) rounds.[4][6] The Walter HWK 109-509B[4] rocket engine was mounted beneath the tail boom, which also carried a twin-fin empennage and the drogue parachute housing.[3][4]

The landing skid was retractable, and landing required the prior braking action of a drogue parachute. As pilots could only enter from a hatch above the cockpit, the pilot would have had to enter the E.381 before it could be attached to the carrier Ar 234C and had no way to escape in case of an emergency.[9]

Arado E.381/II

The Mark II was very similar to the Mark I with the exception of having a larger overall size and smaller fins.[1] The variant was planned to have a deeper and shorter 16 ft 3 in (4.95 m) fuselage and a high mid-wing layout. It was to be powered by a Walter HWK 109-509A-2 engine. The unit was rated at 1,700 kg (3,700 lb) of thrust. About a quarter of the way back from the nose the fuselage deepened in the form of a hump which extended to the tail. This hump housed a single MK 108 cannon with 45 rounds.[3][4]

Arado E.381/III

The aircraft was again enlarged in the Mark III version. This version had a triangular cross section and an armament of six rockets (of unspecified type) instead of a gun. The landing procedure was unchanged. A hatch was added on the side to provide for pilot access.[1]

Specifications (E.381/I)

A three-view of an Arado E.381/I
A three-view of an Arado E.381/I

Data from Aircraft of the Luftwaffe 1935–1945: An Illustrated History[6] for the Arado E.381/I

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1 pilot

Performance Armament

Notes

  1. ^ This figure is from Arado. The Bf 109 had a cross section of 1.8 square meters (19 sq ft)[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Krantzhoff, pp. 153–156
  2. ^ a b c d Herwig and Rode, p. 207
  3. ^ a b c d e Kay and Smith, p. 388
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Albrecht, pp. 88–125
  5. ^ Herwig and Rode, p. 206
  6. ^ a b c Lepage, pp. 257–258
  7. ^ Ford, p. 17
  8. ^ Green, pp. 145–146
  9. ^ Griehl, pp. 150–155

Bibliography

  • Albrecht, Ulrich (2002). "Military Technology and National Socialist Ideology". In Renneberg, Monika; Walker, Mark (eds.). Science, Technology, and National Socialism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 88–125. ISBN 0521528607.
  • Ford, Roger (2000). Germany's Secret Weapons in World War II. Osceola, WI: MBI Publishing Co. ISBN 0760308470.
  • Green, William (1971). Rocket Fighter. Ballantine's Illustrated History of World War II: Weapons Book, No. 20. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 9780345021632.
  • Griehl, Manfred (1998). Jet Planes of the Third Reich: The Secret Projects, Volume 1. Sturbridge, MA: Monogram Aviation Publications. ISBN 9780914144366.
  • Herwig, Dieter; Rode, Heinz (2003). Luftwaffe Secret Projects: Ground Attack & Special Purpose Aircraft. Hinckley, England: Midland Publishing. ISBN 1857801504.
  • Kay, Antony L.; Smith, J.R. (2002). German Aircraft of the Second World War. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 155750010X.
  • Krantzhoff, Jörg Armin (1997). Arado: History of an Aircraft Company. Atglen, PA: Schiffer. ISBN 0764302930.
  • Lepage, Jean-Denis (2009). Aircraft of the Luftwaffe 1935–1945: An Illustrated History. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. ISBN 0786439378.

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