The Messerschmitt Bf 163 was an
STOL
A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a conventional fixed-wing aircraft that has short runway requirements for takeoff and landing. Many STOL-designed aircraft also feature various arrangements for use on airstrips with harsh conditio ...
aircraft designed by
BFW and built by
Weserflug
Weser Flugzeugbau GmbH, known as Weserflug, was an aircraft manufacturing company in Germany.
History
The company was founded in 1934 as a subsidiary of the ship and machine company Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau AG (DESCHIMAG). It began prod ...
before
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Design and development
During the autumn of 1935, the considerable potential of the
Fieseler Fi 156
The Fieseler Fi 156 ''Storch'' (, " stork") was a German liaison aircraft built by Fieseler before and during World War II. Production continued in other countries into the 1950s for the private market. It was notable for its excellent short fi ...
project for the tasks of short-range reconnaissance and aerial observation had prompted the
RLM to draw up a requirement for an army cooperation and observation aircraft with its performance parameters. The requirement stipulated the use of the
Argus As 10
The Argus As 10 was a German-designed and built, air-cooled 90° cylinder bank-angle inverted V8 "low power" aircraft engine, used mainly in training aircraft such as the Arado Ar 66 and Focke-Wulf Fw 56 Stösser and other small short-range re ...
or the
Hirth HM 508
The Hirth HM 508 was an air-cooled, eight-cylinder, 60° cylinder bank angle inverted-V aircraft engine built in Germany in the 1930s. It had a bore and stroke of 105 mm × 115 mm (4.1 in × 4.5 in) and developed 210 kW (280 h ...
engine and placed emphasis on short field performance, maximum possible allround view for the two crew members, and a wide range of speed. It was intended that the resultant aircraft, which the
Siebel Si 201
The Siebel Si 201 was a German air observation post and army cooperation aircraft, designed and built by Siebel.
Evaluated against other types, the Si 201 did not enter production and only two prototypes were built.
Design and development
Designe ...
was also designed to compete for, would be evaluated in competition with the Fi 156.
The Bf 163 closely followed the formula established by the Fi 156 by being a high-wing braced
monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
with a metal structure, automatic leading edge wing slots, double slotted flaps, and an exceptionally tall undercarriage. The aircraft's most interesting feature was the provision for varying the
incidence of the entire wing which swivelled on its mainspar, the bracing struts being attached to the fuselage by ball joints and changing their angle with movement of the wing. Construction of the sole prototype was entrusted to
Weserflug
Weser Flugzeugbau GmbH, known as Weserflug, was an aircraft manufacturing company in Germany.
History
The company was founded in 1934 as a subsidiary of the ship and machine company Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau AG (DESCHIMAG). It began prod ...
, though due to its origin with the ''Bayerische Flugzeugwerke'' before
mid-July 1938, it retained the ''Bf'' RLM prefix for the earlier firm.
Operational history
First flown on 19 February 1938 and powered by the Argus As 10C, the Bf 163 V1 proved to have similar performance characteristics to those of the Fi 156 but was more complex and expensive. Although some components for a second prototype were manufactured, the Bf 163 V2 was not completed and further work on the Bf 163 was terminated in favor of the
Fieseler Fi 156
The Fieseler Fi 156 ''Storch'' (, " stork") was a German liaison aircraft built by Fieseler before and during World War II. Production continued in other countries into the 1950s for the private market. It was notable for its excellent short fi ...
.
Designation
In a very rare decision, the RLM reissued the airframe designation number 8-163 for the
Me 163 ''Komet'' rocket-propelled interceptor, after having used the number for the Bf 163. The two aircraft are distinguished by the abbreviation: the earlier ''Bf'' 163, and the later ''Me'' 163. The new "Me" prefix was adopted for all new designs of Messerschmitt aircraft, after the company's official name of ''Bayerische Flugzeugwerke'' (BFW) was changed to ''Messerschmitt AG'', from
Willy Messerschmitt
Wilhelm Emil "Willy" Messerschmitt (; 26 June 1898 – 15 September 1978) was a German aircraft designer and manufacturer. In 1934, in collaboration with Walter Rethel, he designed the Messerschmitt Bf 109, which became the most importan ...
's full acquisition of the ''Bayerische Flugzeugwerke'' firm on July 11, 1938.
Specifications (Bf 163 V1)
See also
Sources
* Green, William ''Warplanes of the Third Reich''. Galahad Books, 1986. .
{{RLM aircraft designations
Bf 163
1930s German military reconnaissance aircraft
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Parasol-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1938