Blohm & Voss P 214

The Blohm & Voss P 214 was a small manned powered bomb project with a large warhead mounted integrally with the fuselage, designed in late 1944 but not developed past the project stage.

P 214
Role Single-seat dive bomber
National origin Nazi Germany
Manufacturer Blohm & Voss
Designer Richard Vogt
Status Design project

Officially this project was known in German as Bemannte Fla. Bombe (Fla. standing for Flugabwehr), meaning "Manned Air Defence Bomb".[1]


Design
See also: Mistel

The P 214 would have been carried as a parasite aircraft by a mother plane to an altitude above the enemy bomber fleet. Then the pilot would have put the aircraft into a steep dive in order to deliver a strong explosive charge. Once the aircraft was well-aimed at the target the pilot should have bailed out, letting the unmanned plane explode in the middle of the enemy bombers.[2] However, even though it was theoretically feasible for the pilot to escape, in practice the chances were next to nil.[1]

Although it was not intended as such, owing to the real dangers for the pilot inherent in the operation of this dangerous aircraft, the P 214 is sometimes listed as a suicide weapon.[1]

Replica

An exhibit on display at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia is claimed to be a replica.[3]

Specifications

Data from [2]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 6 m (19 ft 8 in)
  • Wingspan: 5 m (16 ft 5 in)
  • Wing area: 10 m2 (110 sq ft)
  • Gross weight: 3,600 kg (7,937 lb)

Performance Armament

  • Bombs: 1x 2,204 lb (1,000 kg) warhead

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

Related lists

References
  1. Ulrich Albrecht. "Artefakte des Fanatismus; Technik und nationalsozialistische Ideologie in der Endphase des Dritten Reiches". Wissenschaft & Frieden 1989-4. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  2. Nowarra, Heinz J. (1993). Die Deutsche Luftruestung 1933-1945 Vol.1 - AEG-Dornier (in German). Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe Verlag. p. 142. ISBN 978-3-7637-5464-9.
  3. "Blohm & Voss P-214 'Mistletoe' Rocket Bomb, Military Aviation Museum, Virginia Beach - a photo on Flickriver". www.flickriver.com. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
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