Hs 117 Schmetterling | |
---|---|
Type | Surface-to-air (SAM) / Air-to-air (AAM) missile |
Place of origin | Germany |
Production history | |
Designer | Professor Herbert A. Wagner |
Designed | 1942-1943 |
Manufacturer | Henschel Flugzeugwerke |
Variants | Hs 117M (air-to-air missile variant) |
Specifications (Hs 117) | |
Mass | 450 kg (990 lb), [1] 620 kg (1,370 lb) with launch boosters[ citation needed ] |
Length | 4,200 mm (170 in) |
Diameter | 350 mm (14 in) |
Warhead | High explosive |
Engine | 1x BMW 109-558 liquid-fuelled rocket engine 3.7 kN (830 lbf) for 33 sec, followed by 0.588 kN (132 lbf) for 24 sec [1] |
Wingspan | 2,000 mm (79 in) |
Propellant | Tonka-250 (50% triethylamine and 50% xylidine) fuel, with SV-Stoff (nitric acid) oxidiser [1] |
Operational range | 32 km (20 mi; 17 nmi) |
Flight altitude | 6,000–9,000 m (20,000–30,000 ft) [1] |
Boost time | 2x Schmidding 109-553 Ethylene glycol solid fuel boosters, giving total 17.1 kN (3,800 lbf) thrust for 4 sec. |
Maximum speed | 900–1,000 km/h (560–620 mph; 490–540 kn) [1] |
Guidance system | MCLOS; visual guidance by telescope, radio controls; two-man crew [1] |
The Henschel Hs 117 Schmetterling (German for Butterfly ) was a radio-guided German surface-to-air missile project developed during World War II. There was also an air-to-air version, the Hs 117H. [2]
The operators used a telescopic sight and a joystick to guide the missile by radio control, which was detonated by acoustic and photoelectric proximity fuses, at 10–20 m (33–66 ft). [3]
In 1941, Professor Herbert A. Wagner (who was previously responsible for the Henschel Hs 293 anti-ship missile) invented the Schmetterling missile and submitted it to the Reich Air Ministry (RLM), who rejected the design because there was no need for more anti-aircraft weaponry.
However, by 1943 the large-scale bombing of Germany caused the RLM to change its mind, and Henschel was given a contract to develop and manufacture it. The team was led by Professor Wagner, and it produced a weapon somewhat resembling a bottlenose dolphin with swept wings and cruciform tail. [1]
In May 1944, 59 Hs 117 missiles were tested, some from beneath a Heinkel He 111; over half the trials failed. [2] Mass production was ordered in December 1944, with deployment to start in March 1945. Operational missiles were to be launched from a 37mm gun carriage. [1]
In January 1945, a prototype for mass production was completed, and production of 3,000 missiles a month was anticipated, [1] but on 6 February, SS-Obergruppenführer Hans Kammler cancelled the project.
The Hs 117H was an air-launched variant, designed to be launched from a Dornier Do 217, Junkers Ju 188, or Junkers Ju 388. [4] This version was designed to attack enemy aircraft up to 5 km (16,000 ft) above the launching aircraft. [5]
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