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By AaronMk
06/28/2011 - 22:08:18

Type: Military air vehicle
Rating: 0.03 (Not rated)
Tags: 1930's, amerika, bomber, bredt, eugene, germany, irene, lift body, nazi, saanger, sanger, sub-space, ww2

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Description

The Silbervogel (Silver Bird) was a conceptual air-craft designed by Eugene Saanger and Irene Bredt in the late 30's for Nazi Germany. It was originally planned for use during the "Amerika Bomber" plan. But was turned down by the Reich Air Ministry.The craft laid the foundations for future "lifting body" air-craft (such as the Space Shuttle) and would have been the first sub-space bomber. A combinations of rocket sleds and an on-board rocket engine would have it reach altitudes of 90 miles (145km) and "bounce" on the Stratosphere. The estimated range would allow the craft to carry a 4,000 kg bomb over the United States, drop it, then glide along the air to a landing strip on a Japanese-held island in the Pacific.The air-craft would have been possible, save for the inproper heat-shielding. A correction in the calculations would've had the Silbervogel burn up on re-entry and by destroyed. Although this could be corrected, but would result in a drop in the size of the payload.The legacy of the Silbervogel lasts today as it revolutionized regenerative cooling systems (where the fuel and/or oxidiser are used to cool the engine). The project would also be the foundations on which many other future space-craft were built upon.In the mid-80's there was renewed interest in the program and the German aerospace company Messerschmidt-Boelkow-Bloehm returned to the Silverbird design, but revised. Including it in a two-stage rocket design.