The Focke Rochen (engl.: Focke Stingray), also known as ''Focke-Wulf Schnellflugzeug'' or ''Focke-Wulf VTOL'' was a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
VTOL
A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is one that can take off and land vertically without relying on a runway. This classification can include a variety of types of aircraft including helicopters as well as thrust-vectoring fixed-wi ...
aircraft project. Designed by
Heinrich Focke
Henrich Focke (8 October 1890 – 25 February 1979) was a German aviation pioneer from Bremen and also a co-founder of the Focke-Wulf company. He is best known as the inventor of the Fw 61, the first successful German helicopter.
Biography ...
of the
Focke-Wulf company towards the end of
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 opposing ...
, the project remained unbuilt before the
surrender of Nazi Germany, but saw some development in the postwar years. The information about this project is limited; it was named after the
ray owing to its unusual shape.
The aircraft had an
airfoil section with two huge propellers in the center.
Development
Towards the last years of the
Third Reich
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
, Heinrich Focke started design work on the Rochen, also known as ''Schnellflugzeug'', as soon as he had the relevant data for the new German
jet engines.
In 1939, he patented the idea of a circular aircraft with a large airfoil section and an open center that acted as a huge propeller duct for twin contra-rotating propellers, driven by a projected Focke-Wulf designed
turbojet
The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, an ...
engine via an axle and gearbox.
The Fw-Rochen would have achieved forward flight by vectoring the downwash from the propellers rearward through a series of
louver
A louver (American English) or louvre (British English; see spelling differences) is a window blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain and direct sunshine. The angle of the sla ...
s below them. The louvers themselves could also be completely closed for gliding flight in the event of engine failure. The exhaust nozzle forked in two at the end of the turbojet engine and ended in two auxiliary combustion chambers located on the trailing edges of the circular wing. When fuel was added, the auxiliary combustion chambers acted as primitive afterburners, providing horizontal flight. Control at low speed was achieved by varying the power to each auxiliary chamber through two small nozzles.
The landing gear was very simple, consisting of the two main gear legs on either side of the central propellers and a small tailwheel. A single
fin
A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. Fin ...
and
rudder
A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adve ...
would be provided to help with lateral stability at higher speeds. The pilot would sit in a
cockpit nacelle that protruded from the front of the circular airfoil-section fuselage.
After the war, a wooden 1/10 scale model of the Rochen was built in
Bremen and subjected to
wind tunnel
Wind tunnels are large tubes with air blowing through them which are used to replicate the interaction between air and an object flying through the air or moving along the ground. Researchers use wind tunnels to learn more about how an aircraft ...
tests. Heinrich Focke filed for a
patent
A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...
of the aircraft in 1957, but it was never built.
[Patent registry No 953938 of the German Patent Administration]
See also
References
External links
Pictures
{{Focke-Wulf aircraft
Rochen
Abandoned military aircraft projects of Germany
VTOL aircraft
1950s German experimental aircraft
Flying wings