Hütter Hü 136
Encyclopedia
The Hütter Hü 136 was an experimental dive bomber
design produced by German engineers
Wolfgang and Ulrich Hütter during World War II
.
The Hütters, best known as glider designers, responded to Reich Air Ministry calls for high-performance, strongly built dive bombers. The Sturzbomber or Stubo specification came in two parts: Stubo 1, a single-seater with the flight capabilities of a fighter but armoured and with a 500 kg bombload; and Stubo 2, a two-seat bomber with similar performance but a 1,000 kg bombload.
The Hü 136 design was highly innovative, with the pilot sitting far to the rear of the aircraft, his cockpit forming part of the vertical tail surface. The design had no undercarriage
, with a jettisonable dolly for takeoff and a retractable skid for landing. To overcome the likelihood of contact between the propeller and the ground on landing, the propeller
would be blown off before landing and descend separately by parachute
.
The German Air Ministry (Reichsluftfahrtministerium) did not pursue the design, preferring to adopt the existing Henschel Hs 129
.
Dive bomber
A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target reduces the distance the bomb has to fall, which is the primary factor in determining the accuracy of the drop...
design produced by German engineers
Aerospace engineering
Aerospace engineering is the primary branch of engineering concerned with the design, construction and science of aircraft and spacecraft. It is divided into two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering...
Wolfgang and Ulrich Hütter during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The Hütters, best known as glider designers, responded to Reich Air Ministry calls for high-performance, strongly built dive bombers. The Sturzbomber or Stubo specification came in two parts: Stubo 1, a single-seater with the flight capabilities of a fighter but armoured and with a 500 kg bombload; and Stubo 2, a two-seat bomber with similar performance but a 1,000 kg bombload.
The Hü 136 design was highly innovative, with the pilot sitting far to the rear of the aircraft, his cockpit forming part of the vertical tail surface. The design had no undercarriage
Undercarriage
The undercarriage or landing gear in aviation, is the structure that supports an aircraft on the ground and allows it to taxi, takeoff and land...
, with a jettisonable dolly for takeoff and a retractable skid for landing. To overcome the likelihood of contact between the propeller and the ground on landing, the propeller
Propeller (aircraft)
Aircraft propellers or airscrews convert rotary motion from piston engines or turboprops to provide propulsive force. They may be fixed or variable pitch. Early aircraft propellers were carved by hand from solid or laminated wood with later propellers being constructed from metal...
would be blown off before landing and descend separately by parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
.
The German Air Ministry (Reichsluftfahrtministerium) did not pursue the design, preferring to adopt the existing Henschel Hs 129
Henschel Hs 129
The Henschel Hs 129 was a World War II ground-attack aircraft fielded by the German Luftwaffe. Its nickname, the Panzerknacker , is a deliberate pun—in German, it also means "safe cracker"...
.