The Coolest 'Radical' Aircaft of World War II

[HealzDevo]

I would go Ta-183, P1101. We know it works because the MiG is based off these designs. I think they would be really interesting aircraft to see and
very radical aircraft for its time.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Not really radical though were they?

 

[merlin]

My choice would be the Boulton Paul P.100, a canard aircraft designed to a RAf spec for a Ground Attack aircraft, with a combination of 20mm 40mm canon + rockets to be in service by Jan 44.
See Secret British Projects 1935 - 1950 for more info. Would supply more but my copy is packed away prior to moving house!!

 

[YakFlyer]

Do 335, and who couldn't say the P-38 wasn't radical, I think it was.

 

[Civettone]

Luft46.com has a whole bunch of cool German designs. Especially the Blohm&Voss designs were cool.

From the ones that actually were built ... I like the Bf 109Z, Junkers EF.126 and surprise surprise the Ba 349.
Perhaps the Russian Su-6 also fits under the radical category.
Kris

 

[HealzDevo]

That is only because we are in an age after the MiG-15 and the MiG-17 and the Sabre. For its time that barrel design would have been quite radical. Name another aircraft other than those two with a similar tail of that time-period. Also the BMW Flying Saucer would be considered quite radical. Also the Blohm and Voss designs were quite radical in featuring the cockpit off to one side. Would perhaps have been hell on trim if seriously hit...

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I disagree about those beng radical for there time. The idea of planes looking like that had been around for quite some time allready. It was known that that was the future.

 

[Soren]

The Go-229 was pretty radical for its time, and it flew great.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Yeap I would consider the 229 a radical aircraft a good design as well.

 

[johnbr]

For me it is the Lippisch P13a it was lost along with the P11v2 in a air raid Ho 229 Me p1109-01 Sanger orbital bomber.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I could have sworn a Lippisch aircraft like the P13 survived and is in storage at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.

 

[johnbr]

I am talking about the powered one.

 

[HealzDevo]

Was it really, or was that just after the design had been captured and built by the Allies? If you look you don't really find this design that much. Okay there were one or two but they were never adopted really- Westland Whirlwind did have a similar tail but it was never really adopted unlike the idea of the Ta-183/ P1101. These were to be looked upon as what the German Jet Fighters should be and the Me-262 and the Me-163 were intended as placeholders until they arrived...

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

The Me-262 and the Me-163 were not placeholders until the TA-183 or P.1101 arrived. The Me-262 and Me-163 development can be traced back to before the war began. The Ta-183 and P.1101 were not even though of yet.

 

[HealzDevo]

The Junkers Ju-287 was pretty radical in introducing the idea of a tail that could wing down to allow the gunner a better field of fire. Okay, it wasn't that much faster than its predecessor the Junkers Ju-87 but can anyone else name any other aircraft of the time where the tail swung down to clear the field of fire... The Heinkel Wespe and the Heinkel Lerche II look pretty radical even today in being designed in a wheel-shape. The Hs P-87 with its manta-ray like body could be considered pretty radical even today. Lets not forget the MeP-1102 with its swinging wing design that even today is in the absolute miniority of aircraft types. The Me P-1110 Ente has two separate sets of wings on it which is an interesting design feature. The Wesserflug P-1003 is an interesting aircraft being designed like the modern design, the MV-22 Osprey which could have been partly inspired by looking at the German designs. Look at modern aircraft designs and chances are that it seems the Germans probably have done something similar.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Um you are not describing the Ju-287. The Ju-287 was not the predecessor of the Ju-87. The Ju-287 (picture below) was a jet bomber design. It was a very radical design for WW2 however.

It was pieced together by parts from different aircraft.The nosewheels from two B-24 Liberators, the fuselage of an He 177, mainwheels off a Ju 352, and the tail was constructed of Ju 388 parts.

What you are talking about is the Ju-187 and it canceled before a prototype was even built in 1943 because the performance was expected to be no better than the Ju-87.

 

[HealzDevo]

I know it wasn't the predecessor of the Ju-87. I never suggested it was. It was originally designated Ju-187 and 287 was one development of it but then it got stripped of that and the 287 was officially in October 1943 given to a forward-swept wing jet bomber that Junkers was designing. The feature that makes it radical is that tail that swings. I have yet to hear of a modern aircraft where the tail swings around like that... Have you? Information obtained from Luft '46 - WWII German aircraft projects.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

There is no need for a modern plane let alone any plane to have a tail do that.

 

[Matt308]

He means this one I think.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Yes I know which one he is talking about.