- Blohm & Voss BV 40
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The
Blohm & Voss BV 40 was a Germanglider fighter designed to attack Allied bomber formations. By eliminating the engine and positioning the pilot in a prone position (i.e., lying on the front), the cross-sectional area of the aircraft was much reduced, making the aircraft much harder forbomber gunners to hit.Its key features were a very narrow and fairly heavily
armored cockpit, and twoMK 108 cannon s in thewing root s with very limitedammunition . Thefuselage was constructed almost entirely ofwood , a non-strategic material. During its short attack time the glider would fire its weapons, then glide back to earth, although for a time, the idea of carrying a bomb on a cable behind the glider was entertained.The first flight was in the May of 1944. Several
prototype s were completed, but the project was stopped later in the year as the end of the war drew near.pecifications
aerospecs
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met or eng?= metcrew=One pilot
capacity=
length m=5.70
length ft=18
length in=8
span m=7.90
span ft=25
span in=11
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dia m=
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width m=
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width in=
height m=1.63
height ft=5
height in=4
wing area sqm=8.7
wing area sqft=94
swept area sqm=
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rot area sqm=
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volume m3=
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aspect ratio=
empty weight kg=835
empty weight lb=1,840
gross weight kg=950
gross weight lb=2,090
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eng2 lbf-ab=max speed kmh=900
max speed mph=560
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sink rate ftmin=armament1=2 × fixed, forward-firing 30 mm Rheinmetall Borsig
MK 108 cannon s (35 rounds per gun = 70 rounds total)
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armament6=ee also
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sequence=
lists=
*List of World War II military aircraft of Germany
*List of military aircraft of Germany
see also=
*Blohm + Voss
*Blohm & Voss BV 246 References
Notes
Bibliography
* Green, William. "War Planes of the Second World War, Volume One: Fighters". London: Macdonald & Co.(Publishers) Ltd., 10th impression 1972, p. 78-79. ISBN 0-356-01445-2.
* Green, William. "War Planes of the Third Reich". London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 4th impression 1979, p. 100-102. ISBN 0-356-02382-6.
* Smith, J. Richard and Kay, Anthony. "German Aircraft of the Second World War". London: Putnam 7 Company Ltd., 3rd impression 1978, p. 84-88. ISBN 0-370-00024-2.
* Wood, Tony and Gunston, Bill. "Hitler's Luftwaffe, a pictorial history and technical encyclopedia of Hitler's air power in World War II". London: Salamander Books, 1977, p. 138. ISBN 0-86101-005-1.
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