PlaneSpottingWorld welcomes all new members! Please gives your ideas at the Terminal.
Focke-Wulf Ta 400
The Focke-Wulf Ta 400 was a large six-engined bomber prototype developed in Nazi Germany in 1943 by Focke-Wulf as a serious contender for the Amerika Bomber project. One of the first aircraft to be developed from components from multiple countries, it was also one of the most advanced Focke-Wulf designs of World War II, though it never progressed beyond a wind tunnel model.
Designed as a bomber and long-range reconnaissance plane by Kurt Tank, the Ta 400 had a shoulder-mounted wing with 4° dihedral. One of the most striking features was the six BMW 801D radial engines, to which two Jumo 004 jet engines were later added.
Contents
History
In response to the RLM guidelines of 22 January 1942, Kurt Tank of the Focke-Wulf company designed the Ta 400 as a bomber and long-range reconnaissance plane to be powered by six BMW 801D radial engines, to which two Jumo 004 jet engines were later added.. Design work was begun in 1943, much of it being carried out by French technicians working at Chatillon sous Bagneux near Paris, with contracts for design and construction of major components being awarded to German, French, and Italian companies in an attempt to speed the process and begin construction of prototypes as soon as possible.
The Ta 400 had a shoulder-mounted wing with 4° dihedral, with a long straight center section extending to the middle engine on each wing, and highly tapered outer wing panels. It had twin vertical stabilizers mounted at the tips of the tailplane. Like the American B-29 Superfortress the Ta 400 was to have a pressurized crew compartment and tail turret, connected by pressurized tunnel, as well as multiple remote-controlled turrets. The crew of nine was to be protected by a heavy defensive armament including ten 20 mm MG 151 cannons. The plane was to use a staggering 32 fuel tanks. Another design feature was tricycle landing gear.
Maximum bomb load was to be Template:Convert. With a gross weight of Template:Convert, the Ta 400 with DB 603 engines was estimated to have a range of Template:Convert in the reconnaissance role, cruising at Template:Convert. The two bomber versions would have Template:Convert and Template:Convert gross weights with estimated ranges of Template:Convert and Template:Convert respectively. The projected Jumo-powered aircraft would have had a maximum range of Template:Convert for long range reconnaissance and Template:Convert as a bomber.[1] Because no prototype was ever built it never progressed beyond a wind tunnel model, and performance, range, and dimensions are based solely on the designers' estimates.
The Ta 400 was essentially a backup design for the Me 264. As the design required more materials and labor than the Me 264, the RLM became convinced that further development of the Ta 400 was a waste and on 15 October 1943 notified Focke-Wulf that the program would be terminated[2], but the minutes of a meeting in Italy of Tank with Italian aviation industrialists on 18 April 1944 confirmed that the design was still active and proposed the cooperation of Italian industry to the project.[citation needed]
Specifications
Data from [citation needed]
General characteristics
- Crew: 6
- Length: 28.7 m (94 ft 2 in)
- Wingspan: 45.8 m (150 ft 3 in)
- Height: ()
- Loaded weight: 60,000 kg (132,000 lb)
- Powerplant: 6× BMW 801D , 1,700 hp (1.3 MW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 343 kt (395 mph / 635 kph)
- Range: 4,860 nm (5592 mi / 9,000 km)
Armament
- Guns: 10 × MG 151/20 in five twin turrets
- Bombs: 22,046 lb / 10,000 kg total
See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
Designation sequence
Lists relating to aviation | |
|---|---|
| General | Timeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines |
| Military | Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft |
| Notable incidents and accidents | Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths |
| Records | Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft |
References
Notes
Bibliography
- Griehl, Manfred. Luftwaffe over America. London: Greenhill Books, 2006. ISBN 978-0-7607-8697-0.
- Herwig, Dieter and Rode, Heinz. Luftwaffe Secret Projects: Strategic Bombers 1935-45. Earl Shilton, UK: Midland Publishing, 2000. ISBN 1-85780-092-3.
External links
Template:RLM aircraft designations
Lists relating to aviation | |
|---|---|
| General | Timeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines |
| Military | Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft |
| Notable incidents and accidents | Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths |
| Records | Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft |
de:Focke-Wulf Ta 400 es:Focke Wulf Ta 400 it:Focke-Wulf Ta 400 ja:Ta 400 (航空機)
| This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Focke-Wulf Ta 400". |
