Rheintochter

The daughter of the Rhine was a two-stage anti-aircraft missile that was developed in the German Reich during the Second World War. You should support the German flak. The experiments were, however, largely ceased with the start of hunters emergency program. Was controlled the missile via radio pulses from the ground.

Given in November 1942, Rheinmetall-Borsig in order, the missile was tested in two different variants in the missile test site Rumbke in Leba. Basic pattern was the 6.3 m long Rheintochter R1. The second stage, the actual missile, had a length of 2860 mm with a diameter of 540 mm. She wore the warhead from 25 to 150 kg and a detonator which responded to either approach or could be triggered from the ground. The rocket motor had a 220- pound Diglykoltreibsatz which provided an initial thrust of 157 kN. The firing time was 2.5 s, the thrust, however, quickly subsided. The nozzles were doing by the panel into the open. The control was carried out by four cruciform attached wooden tail fins on the missile tip. Behind the middle of the second stage four also cruciform attached wings were attached with a wing span of 2.75 m. The electronics for missile guidance was housed in the front third of the missile. Served as the antenna, the aluminum body of the wings.

The first stage with a length of 2300 mm and a diameter of 510 mm had a 240 kg heavy Diglycol dinitrate - propellant with a thrust of 73.5 kN and a burning time of 0.6 s There were attached seven nozzle, two of which were equipped with a rupture disk and were only flows when the pressure was too large. At this starting stage four stabilizing surfaces were attached with a span of 2660 mm.

From this version, which reached a burnout speed of 360 m / s, up to the November 1944 launch 51 were carried out by a converted 88mm anti-aircraft gun carriage from.

The starting September 1944 located in the experimental variant Rheintochter R3 had a fluid engine as a senior with the hypergolic components nitric acid (336 kg) and a vinyl ether ( Visol ) as fuel (81 kg). This combination delivered a thrust of 21.4 kN at first, the dropped to 17.6 kN. The total burning time amounted to 53 s to promote fuel used compressed air. The two side-mounted Start strapons the R3 version ( 150 kg Diglycol ) produced a thrust of 137.3 kN each for 0.9 s, working through angled nozzles by the missile center of gravity. The design was similar to the R1 variant; turn seven nozzles were used, two of which were equipped with rupture discs. R3 variants reached 400 m / s, and thus the speed of sound.

With Rheintochter R1 it should have given a provisional troop testing. From the R3 only a few experimental samples were started.