Entwicklungsring Süd GmbH (EWR) Light Attack/Observation Aircraft

[fightingirish]

Hi folks,
I will start this topic introducing a light attack aircraft from the German company Entwicklungsring Süd GmbH (EWR) . Heinkel, Messerschmitt und Bölkow started this company in 1959 in Munich. After Heinkel left EWR in 1965, it became later a part of Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm GmbH (MBB).

In the German aircraft magazine "FLUGZEUG CLASSIC", issue March 2007, there is an very interesting article about the light attack aircraft EWR Typ 460.
It was planned as a ground attack and helicopter attack aircraft.

Light Battle aircraft „EWR Type 460“

The helicopter hunter

Inspired by the American "Light Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft (LARA) program and impressed by the escalating Vietnam conflict, the German company Entwicklungsring Süd GmbH (EWR) made some project studies during the 60’s about a Close Air Support (CAS) and helicopter attack aircraft. The requirement was to have a cheap and strong aircraft to take off and land on small airfields near the front, versatility, redundancy, load, wide field of view, low operational costs and ease of maintenance. Other requirements I won’t write here, but are similar to the Rockwell OV-10 Bronco. Minimum and maximum speed near ground level was from 100 km/h to 650 km/h.
Under the project number „EWR Typ 460“(eng: „EWR Type 460“), four studies were made. But I must mention here, that the single engine versions were only done to compare them against the twin engine versions.

460/1: tandem pilot and co-pilot, twin turboprop engines
Length: 9,40m
Wing Span: 13,00m
460/2: 1 pilot, twin turboprop engines
Length: 8,00m
Wing Span: 11,50m
Height: 3,08m
460/3: tandem pilot and co-pilot, single turboprop engine
460/4: 1 pilot, single turboprop engine

The Daimler Benz DB720/PLT 6 turboprop engine was planed as engine for the twin turboprop engines aircraft as other German aircraft and helicopter projects during that time. The DB720/PLT 6 turboprop engine was actually tested on a German Bell UH-1D between 1968 and 1972, but it was never produced in series.
For the single turboprop engine the Lycoming LTC4G-3 turboprop engine was planned.

In the wing roots were two 20mm machine cannons with 300 rounds.
The 460/1 and 460/2 had a ventral turret with one or two 13mm machine guns. The co-pilot controlled this weapon. When the turret was locked, the pilot could use this weapon. On the 460/2 the turret was always locked. Maybe later it would have been scrapped on this version.
5 weapon stations could carry a very wide variation of bombs, guns, unguided rockets and fuel tanks, all together 1200kg.
The only guided weapon planned for this aircraft was the anti-tank missile Bölkow Bo 810 Cobra.

During to new delevelopments with helicopters, like the four-blade hinge less main rotor on the MBB Bo 105, the Light Battle aircraft „EWR Type 460“ never left the drawing-board.

But this project is very similar to FMA IA 58 Pucará.

Source in german:
http://www.flugzeug-classic.de/magazin/flugzeugclassic.asp

 

[Pioneer]

Nice find Fightingirish

I have never seen this design before!

Please do send more infomation (in english if possible) (and more refind scan of drawings if possible!!)

It looks like it could have been an effective mini A-10 Thunderbolt type.
Or if developed further, it could have been a LARA (won by the North American OV-10 Bronco) project contender

Regards
Pioneer

 

[Sundog]

This reminds me of the British SABA project, in terms of mission, but that first version does remind me of the tandem seat version of the Mohawk proposed for the COIN mission (LARA) as Pioneer said.

 

[Sentinel Chicken]

My first thought was a turboprop powered Grumman Skyrocket.......

 

[elmayerle]

My first thought was a turboprop powered Grumman Skyrocket.......

Or at least the XP-50 version of that design. I'll agree with Sundog's LARA comment, too, save that it doesn't have enough vertical tails for that design.

 

[Sundog]

OT: Evan, check your private messages for the info you requested.

 

[hesham]

Hi fightingirich,

At first what is the third picture ? a single engined version or what ?,
and for EWR other projects,see also;

http://www.aiaa.org/tc/vstol/unbuilt/index.htm

 

[fightingirish]

Hi folks, just wrote the summary and scanned the magazine.
I hope, I gave you all enough info after your questions.
If not please let me know!
Dear mods, if i violated against the board rules and copyright, please let me know!
I will then delate the attachments.

 

[TinWing]

I have never heard of the "Daimler Benz DB720/PLT 6 turboprop?"

This is an incredible find.

For some reason, I never remember seeing any reference to this engine in any mid 1960s edition of Jane's All The World's Aircraft?

 

[Pioneer]

Thats what I wanted Fightingirish

Well done my friend!

Pioneer

 

[Pioneer]

Looking at your latest scan, the design seems to have some influence (to some degree!) from the Arado Ar 232 or even Focke-Wulf Fw 189 uhu design and principle?

Regards
Pioneer

 

[elmayerle]

I have never heard of the "Daimler Benz DB720/PLT 6 turboprop?"

This is an incredible find.

For some reason, I never remember seeing any reference to this engine in any mid 1960s edition of Jane's All The World's Aircraft?

I remember seeing mention of this in a mid-1960's issue of "Aircraft Engines of the World" (a most useful reference if you can find copies used) as well as, I think, in a hardbound collection of a German aviation magazine of that period (I'd bought it because it had some Luft '46 info I'd not seen, but much of the other material was interesting, too). I seem to remember that it was a 1964 issue of Aircraft Engines of the World since it had engines for a number of British programs that died before the 1965 edition came out. I wish I could remember more at this point, but those hardbound volumes are packed away "somewhere" and the other book was just borrowed from the library where we were living at the time.

 

[hesham]

Hi,

The E.W.R EK-33 was single seat low altitude close support
STOL aircraft project,powered by one Lycoming LTC-4C
turboprop engine.


Source, flightglobal;
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1967/1967%20-%200870.html?search=E.W.R.%20EK-33

 

[Jemiba]

I don't know about a requirement by the german AF for such an aircraft,
that could have been fulfilled by, maybe the OV-10 Bronco, but in flugzeug-
classic June 2008, Wolfgang Mühlbauer mentiones in an article, that there
were talks about a liceence for building the Morane Saulnier MS.1500 by the
german manufacturer Siebel Werke ATG. Can anybody confirm this and, maybe,
if there really was such a program ?

 

[fightingirish]

Jemiba,
unfortunally I didn't read that article in Flugzeug-Classic, June 2008.
But did you see the thread "Entwicklungsring Süd GmbH (EWR) projects" so far?

 

[Jemiba]

Ah, good clue, thank you very much!
Same timeframe and a similar role, the MS.1500 could have been
indeed a contender and being built by a german company would
have made the political decision easier, I think.

Thanks again !

 

[hesham]

My dear Jemiba,


the only close support aircraft by EWR,I know it; the EWR EK.33;


http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,16853.msg18063.html#msg18063

 

[hesham]

Hi,

The E.W.R EK-33 was single seat low altitude close support
STOL aircraft project,powered by one Lycoming LTC-4C
turboprop engine.


Source, flightglobal;
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1967/1967%20-%200870.html?search=E.W.R.%20EK-33

This project was called EWR EK-33-004 as mention in L + K magazine.

 

[hesham]

Hi,

The E.W.R EK-33 was single seat low altitude close support
STOL aircraft project,powered by one Lycoming LTC-4C
turboprop engine.


Source, flightglobal;
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1967/1967%20-%200870.html?search=E.W.R.%20EK-33

This project was called EWR EK-33-004 as mention in L + K magazine.

A more info and a 3-view to EWR EK-33-004 Project is in Flugzeug Classic 01-02/2003.

 

[Grey Havoc]

I wonder if they were also aiming at the Bundesgrenzschutz (Federal Border Guard) with the 460.

 

[Jemiba]

Don't think that the Bundesgrenzschutz was ever envisaged to operate combat aircraft, or
that it was at least allowed to ! The BGS is a police corps, doing a police job and having
military equipment, with the exception of automatic light weapons, probably would have
caused severe bewilderment, to say the least. It would have been a kind of "army light" then
and you know, here in Germany such things perhaps were (and are ?) regarded with a lot
of carefulness.

 

[fightingirish]

The Daimler Benz DB720/PLT 6 turboprop engine was planed as engine for the twin turboprop engines aircraft as other German aircraft and helicopter projects during that time. The DB720/PLT 6 turboprop engine was actually tested on a German Bell UH-1D between 1968 and 1972, but it was never produced in series.

Bell UH-1D test-bed, s/n 64-13881, with a DB720/PLT 6 turboprop engine

 

[ly112358]

From: https://www.ebay.ca/itm/295992461179?hash=item44ea86877b:g:-Q0AAOSwl6FlLmM9

 

[Scott Kenny]

Hi folks,
I will start this topic introducing a light attack aircraft from the German company Entwicklungsring Süd GmbH (EWR) . Heinkel, Messerschmitt und Bölkow started this company in 1959 in Munich. After Heinkel left EWR in 1965, it became later a part of Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm GmbH (MBB).

In the German aircraft magazine "FLUGZEUG CLASSIC", issue March 2007, there is an very interesting article about the light attack aircraft EWR Typ 460.
It was planned as a ground attack and helicopter attack aircraft.




Source in german:
http://www.flugzeug-classic.de/magazin/flugzeugclassic.asp

The twin engine version reminds me of an HS129!

 

[hesham]

By the way,the company had two series,the EK and EWR.

 

[Apophenia]

By the way,the company had two series,the EK and EWR.

There were also (obviously) 'VJ' and 'A' - as in A 400 (AVS) - prefixes as well. But most, if not all, EWR designations will have begun as type numbers. My guess is that any 'EWR' prefixes are just a contraction of EWR typ xx.

 

[hesham]

By the way,the company had two series,the EK and EWR.

There is another third series,but it's very strange.

 

[uk 75]

This aircraft goes a long way to explaining why the Germans chose the simple Alpha Jet to replace its G91s.