The Siemens torpedo glider (often referred to as an ''aerial torpedo'') was an early precursor of the modern

glide bomb A glide bomb or stand-off bomb is a standoff weapon with flight control surfaces to give it a flatter, gliding flight path than that of a conventional bomb without such surfaces. This allows it to be released at a distance from the target rat ...

developed in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

but never used in action. It consisted of a naval torpedo with an attached airframe which was to be remotely wire-guided.

History

In October 1914, Dr. Wilhelm von Siemens proposed what became was to become known as the Siemens torpedo glider, a wire-guided flying missile that would have comprised a naval torpedo with an attached airframe. It was not intended that it be flown into a target; rather, at a suitable altitude and position, a signal would have been transmitted which would cause the airframe components to detach from the torpedo which would then enter the water and continue towards its target. Guidance signals were to be transmitted through a thin copper wire unrolled from a reel above the fuselage, and guide flares were to be carried to help control.

Siemens-Schuckertwerke Siemens-Schuckert (or Siemens-Schuckertwerke) was a German electrical engineering company headquartered in Berlin, Erlangen and Nuremberg that was incorporated into the Siemens AG in 1966. Siemens Schuckert was founded in 1903 when Siemens & ...

was already occupied with remote-controlled anti-shipping motorboats (the

FL-boat The FL-boat (''Fernlenkboot'', literally "remote controlled boat") was a weapon used by the Imperial German Navy during World War I. It was a remote-controlled motorboat, 17 m long, carrying of explosives, which was intended to be steered directly ...

s or Fernlenkboote), and so had some experience in the field of remote control. Flight testing was performed under the supervision of Dipl. Ing. Dorner from January 1915 onwards, using airships as carriers. Different types of biplane and monoplane airframes were tested, to which a torpedo was fitted, before a biplane layout was adopted due to its greater carrying ability. The last test flight was performed on August 2, 1918. On this flight a biplane glider was launched from Zeppelin LZ 80 (L 35). The glider was released from over the Havel river and worked as expected until its control wire that attached the glider to the Zeppelin snapped and the glider spun out of control. It was planned to use the Siemens-Schuckert R.VIII bomber as a carrier craft, but the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...

stopped the project.

Bibliography

Notes References * - Total pages: 256 * - Total pages: 320 * * * *{{Cite journal , author=Zeitschrift für Flugwissenschaften und Weltraumforschung , title =Siemens torpedo glider, journal =English: German Aerospace Society; German Aerospace Research and Research Institute; German Aerospace Research Institute , volume = 5–6 , pages = 135–136 , orig-year = 1957–1958 , year = 1976 , publisher = Springer , location = Berlin , issn =0342-068X, oclc=3150219 Torpedoes of Germany

Siemens torpedo glider The Siemens torpedo glider (often referred to as an ''aerial torpedo'') was an early precursor of the modern glide bomb developed in World War I but never used in action. It consisted of a naval torpedo with an attached airframe which was to be rem ...

History

See also

Bibliography