- Rheintochter
Rheintochter was a German
surface-to-air missile developed duringWorld War II . Its name comes from the mythical Rheintöchter (Rhinemaidens ) ofRichard Wagner 's opera seriesDer Ring des Nibelungen .History
Rheintochter was ordered in November
1942 by the German army (Wehrmacht ). Starting in August1943 , 82 test firings were made. An air-launched version was also designed.The project was cancelled in
February 6 ,1945 . An example of the missile is on display at the Deutsches Technikmuseum atBerlin .Variants
The initial R1 variant was powered by a two-stage
solid-fuel rocket .Because this variant lacked the ability to reach high altitudes, the R3 model was developed, which had a liquid fuel engine with solid-fuel boosters.
Characteristics
* Primary Function: surface-to-air missile
* Contractor: Rheinmetall-Borsig
* Power Plant: RI variant was 2-stage solid fuel; RIII was liquid fuel with solid-fuel boosters* Length: 10.3 m
* Diameter: cm
* Wing Span: 265 cm
* Launch Weight: 1748 kg* Speed: 485 m/s
* Warhead: 136 kg explosive
* Range: km
* Altitude: R1 8 km
* Fuzes: "Kranich" acousticproximity fuze
* Guidance system:MCLOS visual guidance. The rocket hadflare s located on the wingtips to help the operator keep track of it.* Unit Cost:
* Date Deployed:
* Users:Germany External links
* [http://collections.nasm.si.edu/code/emuseum.asp?quicksearch=rheinmetall] Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
* [http://www.rafmuseum.org/cosford/collections/missiles/missile_info.cfm?missile_id=24] Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford (UK)See also
*
List of World War II guided missiles of Germany
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