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DFS 346
Aircraft 346-P
Type	Research aircraft
Manufacturer	Siebel OKB-2
Designed by	Felix Kracht
Maiden flight	346-P in 1948 as glider 346-3 in 13.08 1951 with engine[1]
Retired	14 September 1951
Status	Project cancelled
Primary user	Soviet Air Force
Number built	4[2]
Variants	Bisnovat 5

The DFS 346 (Samolyot 346) was a German rocket-powered, high-speed research aircraft of World War II. It was designed by Felix Kracht at the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS), the "German Institute for Sailplane Flight". The prototype was still unfinished by the end of the war and was taken to the Soviet Union where it was rebuilt, tested and flown. Image File history File links Acap. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 304 pixelsFull resolution (980 × 373 pixel, file size: 80 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Pre 50s photo, author unknown. ... An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, and/or spacecraft. ... See also: Siebel Systems Siebel, originally Flugzeugbau Halle, was a German aircraft manufacturer. ... The Maiden flight of an aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1948: Events January January 17 - BOAC begins to replace flying boat routes with the Lockheed Constellation March the Israeli Air Force is formed, with the new state of Israel March 10 - VF-5 becomes the first US Navy carrier squadron to... is the 225th day of the year (226th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1951: Events February February 21 - an English Electric Canberra becomes the first jet to make an unrefuelled crossing of the Atlantic, taking 4 hours 37 minutes March March 6 - the Martin aircraft company gains production rights to the English Electric Canberra... September 14 is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1951: Events February February 21 - an English Electric Canberra becomes the first jet to make an unrefuelled crossing of the Atlantic, taking 4 hours 37 minutes March March 6 - the Martin aircraft company gains production rights to the English Electric Canberra... The Soviet Air Force, also known under the abbreviation VVS, transliterated from Russian: ВВС, Военно-воздушные силы (Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily), formed the official designation of the air force of the Soviet Union. ... The Bisnovat 5 (Бисноват 5) was a research aircraft inspired by the German DFS 346 aircraft that was captured by Soviet troops towards the end of World War II. It was ordered into development in order to provide an all-Soviet alternative to... A Soyuz rocket, at Baikanur launch pad. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug, or DFS (German Research Institute for Sailplane Flight) was formed in 1933 to centralise all gliding activity in Germany. ...

Concept

Concept art

Test pilot Rolf Mödel tries out the prone position

The DFS 346 was a parallel project to the DFS 228 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. While the DFS 228 was essentially of conventional sailplane design, the DFS 346 had highly swept wings and a highly streamlined fuselage that its designers hoped would enable it to break the sound barrier. Like its stablemate, it also featured a self-contained escape module for the pilot, a feature originally designed for the DFS 54 prior to the war. The pilot was to fly the machine from a prone position, a feature decided from experience with the first DFS 228 prototype, mainly because of better g-force handling and aim of reducing the trail as much as possible. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The DFS 228 was a rocket-powered, high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft designed by the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS - German 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. ... Mixed reconnaissance patrol of the Polish Home Army and the Soviet Red Army during Operation Tempest, 1944 Reconnaissance is the military term for the active gathering of information about an enemy, or other conditions, by physical observation. ... Gliders are un-powered heavier-than-air aircraft. ... U.S. Navy F/A-18 at transonic speed. ... The DFS 228 was a rocket-powered, high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft designed by the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS - German 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. ... The term g force or gee force refers to the symbol g, the force of acceleration due to gravity at the earths surface. ...

DFS 346 unusual bailout sequence

The 346 design was intended to be air-launched from the back of a large aircraft, the baseline being the Dornier Do 217. After launch from the bomber the plane's Walter 509B/C (ZhRD-109-510) engine, which consisted of two superimposed combustion chambers, one for cruising and one used only for takeoff or for short periods when the maximum push was necessary, would accelerate the craft to proposed speed of Mach 2.6 at about 30,500 m, where it would cut out. In an operational use the plane would then glide over England for a photo-reconnaissance run, descending as it flew but still at a high speed. After the run was complete the engine would be briefly fired again to raise the altitude for a long lower-speed glide back to a base in Germany or France. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The Dornier Do 217 was a World War II medium bomber designed from scratch as a replacement for the venerable Dornier Do 17. ... Mach may refer to: Ernst Mach Mach number, as a measure of speed inertial mass GNU Mach The microkernel on which GNU Hurd is based Mach kernel, an operating systems kernel technology used in Mac OS X Mach band, an optical illusion Mach Five, the name of the car in... Mixed reconnaissance patrol of the Polish Home Army and the Soviet Red Army during Operation Tempest, 1944 Reconnaissance is the military term for the active gathering of information about an enemy, or other conditions, by physical observation. ...

Design

The DFS-346 was a middle-wing design of full metal construction. The front fuselage of the 346 was a rotation body based on the NACA-Profile 0,0121-0,66-50. The middle part was cylindrical and narrowed to the square in the back. Presumingly for capacity and weight reasons the DFS-346 was equipped already in Germany with landing skids. It was kept later on too and caused trouble several times. The wings were 45° swept-back NACA 0,012-0,55-1,25 profile with 12% relative thickness. The completely continuing profile shape caused a stall in certain flight positions, which caused complete loss of control. This was later stopped by use of fences on the top of the wings. The fuselage can be short, and seemingly unaerodynamic, as in this Christen Eagle 2 The fuselage (from the French fuselé spindle-shaped) is an aircrafts main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. ... A sphere rotating around its axis. ... The NACA airfoils are airfoil shapes for aircraft wings developed by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). ... The NACA airfoils are airfoil shapes for aircraft wings developed by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). ... Category: Aircraft components ...

Development

First model in Siebel windtunel

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 309 pixelsFull resolution (968 × 374 pixel, file size: 77 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Picture taken before W:October 1951, author unknown. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 309 pixelsFull resolution (968 × 374 pixel, file size: 77 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Picture taken before W:October 1951, author unknown. ...

World War II

Felix Kracht and his team at DFS started working with suitable airframe design in the late WWII period. Since the aircraft was to be of all-metal construction, the DFS lacked the facilities to build it, and construction of the prototype was assigned to Siebel Werke located in Halle, which is where the first windtunnel models and partially built prototype was captured by the advancing Red Army. The Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug, or DFS (German Research Institute for Sailplane Flight) was formed in 1933 to centralise all gliding activity in Germany. ... German soldiers at the Battle of Stalingrad World War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the worlds nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. ... See also: Siebel Systems Siebel, originally Flugzeugbau Halle, was a German aircraft manufacturer. ... Halle (also called Halle an der Saale (literally Halle on the Saale, and in some historic references is not uncommonly called Saale after the river) in order to distinguish it from Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia) is the largest town in the German State of Saxony-Anhalt. ... NASA wind tunnel with the model of a plane. ... For other organizations known as the Red Army, see Red Army (disambiguation). ...

Post-War

Escape capsule prepared for droptests

On 22 October 1946, OKB-2 (Design Bureau 2), under the direction of Hans Rössing and Alexandr Bereznyak, was tasked with continuing its development. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1946: // Events January January 1 - a British South American Airways Avro Lancastrian becomes the first commercial flight to depart Heathrow Airport January 10 - a Sikorsky R5 sets an unofficial helicopter altitude record of 6,400 m (21,000 ft) at Stratford...

Plane model in TsAGI wind tunnel

The captured DFS 346, now simply called "Samolyot 346" ("Samolyot" - Aircraft) to distance it from its German origins, was completed and tested in TsAGI wind tunnel T-101, tests revealed some aerodynamic deficiencies which would result in unrecoverable stalls at certain angles of attack. This phenomenon involved a loss of longitudinal stability of the apparatus. After the wind tunnel tests, two wing fences were installed on a more advanced, longer version of the DFS-346, to fight the airstream separation. This solution will be used on the majority of the Soviet planes with sweptback wings of the 1950s and 1960s. In the meantime, the escape capsule system was tested from a B-25J and proved promising. Despite a results from studies, that showed that the plane would not been able to pass even Mach 1, it was ordered to proceed with construction and further testing. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... TsAGI is a transliteration of the Russian abbreviation for Центра́льный аэрогидродинами́ческий институ́т (ЦАГИ) or Tsentralniy Aerogidrodinamicheskiy Institut, the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute. ... TsAGI is a transliteration of the Russian abbreviation for Центра́льный аэрогидродинами́ческий институ́т (ЦАГИ) or Tsentralniy Aerogidrodinamicheskiy Institut, the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute. ... NASA wind tunnel with the model of a plane A wind tunnel is a research tool developed to assist with studying the effects of air moving over or around solid objects. ... In aerodynamics, a stall is a condition in which an excessive angle of attack causes loss of lift due to disruption of airflow. ... In this diagram, the black arrow represents the direction of the wind. ... Category: Aircraft components ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... Lt. ...

Operational use

In 1947, an entirely new 346 prototype was constructed, incorporating refinements suggested by the tests. This was designated 346-P ("P" for planer - "glider"). No provision was made for a powerplant, but ballast was added to simulate the weight of an engine and fuel. This was carried to altitude by a captured in Vladivostok B-29 Superfortress and successfully flown by Wolfgang Zeise in a series of tests. This led to the construction of three more prototypes, intended to lead to powered flight of the type. Vladivostok (Russian: ) is the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia, situated close to the Russo-Sino border and North Korea. ... The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a four-engine heavy bomber propeller aircraft flown by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and other military organizations afterwards. ...

First accidents

Engine test on ground

Minor landing difficulties resulted with landing on the snow without landing gear

Newly built 346-1 incorporated minor aerodynamic refinements over the 346-P, and was first flown by Zeise in September 30 1948, with dummy engines installed. Glider was released at altitude of 9700m , and the pilot immediately realised that he wasn't able to control plane as planned. Despite all difficulties Zeise was able to regain control over aircraft. However his calculation of landing was not precise, and a plane descended down on an increased speed (approximately 310 km/h). After first touching the ground he rocketed up to height of 3-4 m and flew 700-800 m. At the second descent, the landing ski of airplane folded, and plane completely stopped on the fuselage. The pilot carriage and safety-belt appeared very unreliable. At the end of a rough braking Zeise moved forward considerably and afterwards struck the canopy with his head, losing consciousness. Fortunately, he wasn't heavily injured, and after treatment in a hospital he was able to return to flying. The investigation accident research team came to conclusion that it was pilots fault, because he didn't fully release the landing skid. The accident showed that the plane was still very unpredictable, so all rocket-powered flights were postponed until pilots were able to control the plane without difficulties. This required further glide flights. The damaged 346-1 was later repaired and modified to 346-2 variant. It was flown by test pilot P.Kazmin in 1950-1951 winter. But these flights also ended "on fuselage." Furthermore, after the last flight, the plane again required serious repairs. On 10 May 1951, Zeise returned to the program, flying final unpowered tests with the 346-2, and from 6 June, unpowered tests of the 346-3 without accidents.^[3] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 333 pixelsFull resolution (962 × 400 pixel, file size: 80 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Picture taken before W:October 1951, author unknown. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 333 pixelsFull resolution (962 × 400 pixel, file size: 80 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Picture taken before W:October 1951, author unknown. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 263 pixelsFull resolution (949 × 312 pixel, file size: 55 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Picture taken before W:October 1951, author unknown. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 263 pixelsFull resolution (949 × 312 pixel, file size: 55 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Picture taken before W:October 1951, author unknown. ... is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1948: Events January January 17 - BOAC begins to replace flying boat routes with the Lockheed Constellation March the Israeli Air Force is formed, with the new state of Israel March 10 - VF-5 becomes the first US Navy carrier squadron to... The fuselage can be short, and seemingly unaerodynamic, as in this Christen Eagle 2 The fuselage (from the French fuselé spindle-shaped) is an aircrafts main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. ... A three-point seat belt. ... Consciousness is a quality of the mind generally regarded to comprise qualities such as subjectivity, self-awareness, sentience, sapience, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and ones environment. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1950: Events Arrow Air is founded March March 20 - Royal Air Force Avro Lincoln bombers are sent to Singapore to be used against the Communist guerillas of Malaya in the Malayan Emergency. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1951: Events February February 21 - an English Electric Canberra becomes the first jet to make an unrefuelled crossing of the Atlantic, taking 4 hours 37 minutes March March 6 - the Martin aircraft company gains production rights to the English Electric Canberra... is the 130th day of the year (131st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 157th day of the year (158th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Final flights

346-3 taking-off under a wing of B-29

By the mid-1951 346-3 was completed, and Zeise flew it under power for the first time on 13 August 1951, using only one of the plane's engines. Continuing concerns about the aircraft's controllability at high speed had led to a limitation of Mach 0.9 being placed on test flights. Zeise flew it again on 2 September and 14 September. On this final flight, however, things went drastically wrong. Separating from the carrier plane at 9,300 m (30,500 ft) above Lukovici airfield, Zeise fired his engine and accelerated to 900 km/h (560 mph).Aircraft rocket engine worked as expected, and 346-3, quickly accelerating, started ascending and soon had flown in very close proximity to its carrier aircraft. He then reported that the plane was not responding to the controls, and was losing altitude. Ground control commanded him to bail out. He used the escape capsule to leave the stricken aircraft at 6,500 m (21,000 ft) and returned safely to the ground. With the loss of this aircraft, the 346 program was abandoned. ^[3] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 273 pixelsFull resolution (977 × 333 pixel, file size: 69 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Picture taken before W:October 1951, author unknown. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 273 pixelsFull resolution (977 × 333 pixel, file size: 69 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Picture taken before W:October 1951, author unknown. ... The Boeing B-29 Superfortress (Boeing Model 341/345) was a four-engine heavy bomber flown by the United States Army Air Force. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... is the 225th day of the year (226th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... September 2 is the 245th day of the year (246th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... September 14 is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Variants

Quick list

• DFS-346 - Original German design (1 full scale model)
• 346-P - Rebuilt in USSR, non-engined glider version. (1)
• 346-1(A) - Minor aerodynamic refinements, glider with engine mockup (1)
• 346-2(D) - Real engine, no fuel
• 346-3 - First rocket engine powered version

DFS-346

First prototype built by Siebel Werke in first part of 1940s Wasn't finished, and was taken to USSR where newly formed OKB-2 tested it in TsAGI windtunnel. Later this plane was scraped, because it was not flyable. See also: Siebel Systems Siebel, originally Flugzeugbau Halle, was a German aircraft manufacturer. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

346-P

This airframe was first post-war build of this plane, and was completed in 1948 by German engineers. Visually 346-P didn't had any differences with early design, but a landing gear cowl was removed primary for lightening the frame. Plane also featured mounted underwing supports, to help stop the plane when landed.

346-1(A)

On the 5 May 1949 construction of 346-1 was finished. It had rocket engine mockup installed, and incorporated some minor changes in aircraft rudder and tail design. May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (126th in leap years). ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1949: Events Aerolíneas Argentinas established. ...

346-2(D)

Same as 346-1, but real engines

346-3

Only plane that flew rocket-engine powered, and twice went subsonic.

Specifications (346-3)

346-3 Cross-section

General characteristics

• Crew: one, pilot
• Length: 44 ft 1 in (13.45 m)
• Wingspan: 29 ft 6 in (9 m)
• Height: 11 ft 7 in (3.54 m)
• Wing area: 213 ft² (19.9 m²)
• Airfoil: DFS 346#Design
• Empty weight: 4,806 lb (2,100 kg)
• Loaded weight: 11,506 lb (5,230 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Walther HWK 109-509 rocket, 33.4 kN (7,500 lbf)

Performance

• Never exceed speed: 2,765 km/h (estimated) (1,723 mph)
• Maximum speed: 900 km/h (verified) (560 mph)
• Service ceiling: 35,000 m (estimated) (114,800 ft)
• Rate of climb: 6,000 m/min (estimated) (19,680 ft/min)

For an explanation of the units and abbreviations in this list, please see Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/Units key. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The distance AB is the wing span of this Aer Lingus Airbus A320. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The DFS 346 (Samolyot 346) was a German rocket-powered, high-speed research aircraft of World War II. It was designed by Felix Kracht at the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS), the German Institute for Sailplane Flight. The prototype was still unfinished by the end of the war and... Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen is a German arms manufacturer. ... A Soyuz rocket, at Baikanur launch pad. ... An aircrafts Vne is the velocity that should never be exceeded. ... VNO of an aircraft is the V speed which refers to the velocity of normal operation. ... In aeronautics, the service ceiling is the maximum density altitude where the best rate of climb airspeed will produce a 100 feet per minute climb(twin engine) and 50 feet(single engine) at maximum weight while in a clean configuration with maximum continuous power. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ...

References

Related content

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

DFS 346

Related development

• Bisnovat 5
• DFS 228

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... The Bisnovat 5 (Бисноват 5) was a research aircraft inspired by the German DFS 346 aircraft that was captured by Soviet troops towards the end of World War II. It was ordered into development in order to provide an all-Soviet alternative to... The DFS 228 was a rocket-powered, high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft designed by the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS - German 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. ...

Related lists

• List of World War II military aircraft of Germany
• List of military aircraft of Germany
• List of rocket planes
• List of WW2 Luftwaffe aircraft prototype projects

This list covers German aircraft of the Second World War that served in the Luftwaffe during World War II as defined by the years 1939–1945. ... This list of military aircraft of Germany includes prototype, pre-production, and operational types. ... Rocket planes or rocket aircraft can be subdivided by the few rocket powered aircraft to have existed. ... Experimental, Research, Prototype, and Projects Only aircraft of the WW2 German Luftwaffe The list contains both aircraft that were development aircraft of planes that were in the war, and projects during the war. ...