In February 1959, the companies Bölkow, Heinkel and Messerschmitt joined forces to Arbeitsgemeinschaft Entwicklungsring Süd GmbH to jointly develop a high-performance fighter aircraft with VTOL properties.
The company Heinkel has introduced into this community an aircraft project with vertical take-off properties, which later went under the designation VJ 101 A. Messrs. Messerschmitt introduced the VJ 101 B type.
From these 2 basic patterns, the VJ 101 C was later developed in the joint venture and continued until the construction of 2 experimental aircraft. The VJ 101 D as a successor model represents the development of an operational VTOL fighter aircraft. This series of investigations was discontinued in the summer of 1964 in favor of a more advanced concept. As can be seen from the illustrations 1 to 3, numerous variants were examined. The present compilation contains about 70 aircraft designs. Due to the sometimes very recent design studies, it was very difficult to compile extensive and complete documents. It must therefore be said that the present compilation can not claim to be complete.
VJ 101 A (illustration 4)
The starting point for the VJ 101 A was the idea of not providing separate engines for the VTOL phase. These lift-march engines, which are not in operation during aerodynamic flight, add extra weight, which reduces the payload. The fully swiveling lift-march engines are mounted on jibs or on the wings. The control during the VTOL phase takes place by means of shear modulation. During the cruise phase, the thrust surplus of the 6 engines is significant. In contrast, in the VTOL phase, the failure of one of the front engines can lead to an immediate crash. As can be seen from illustration 4, this concept shows a simple structure structure for the aircraft fuselage. The engine bearing in the wing and on the front engine carriers, however, meant new developments.
Technical specifications:
6 x RB 153 with afterburner VTO: Weight approx. 9,600 kp
VJ 101 B (illustration 5-9)
The VJ 101 B according to illustration 5 was introduced by
Messrs. Messerschmitt into the consortium EWR. This aircraft was approximately 7,000 kp and had RB 153 stroke-march engines and a RB 162 lift engine. The VTOL control was carried out via reaction nozzles by means of bleed air from the lift cruise engines.
The illustration 6 shows a simplified design of the representation 5. This is the design of an experimental aircraft for testing purposes. Since this aircraft is designed to be much lighter, 2 Hub-Marsch engines and 1 Hubtriebwerk were sufficient (Figures 7 and 8).
These types indicate a larger aircraft than the type in Figure 5. For this reason, a lifting engine was installed in addition to the existing engines. The difference in the arrangement can be seen from the illustrations.
Figure 9 shows a design with a fundamental change in the engine design. So far, the stroke thrust was oriented around the center of gravity, so in this study two engine groups can be seen. Behind the cockpit are two pure Hubtriebwerke, while the exit of the hub-marching engines for the VTOL phase was moved far into the fuselage tail. The hull underside around the center of gravity remains free for weapon loading.
Rocker for VJ 101 C - development (illustration 10)
As the first experimental device for testing pure thrust control, as it was the basis of the concept of the later test aircraft VJ 101 C, the rocker was built. It is designed so that the thrust effect on the movements of the pitch or roll axis, depending on the experimental arrangement, that corresponds to the planned aircraft. The tests created by their positive result only the conditions to continue in the development of VJ 101.
With this simple device could already be experimented in May 1960; Successively, the control in the pitch and roll axis by hand, then tested various autopilots.
The rocker is essentially a horizontal beam which is stored at one end while the other end is free to rock up and down. On this rocker beam an engine RB 108 is mounted so that its thrust moves the free-swinging beam end upwards.
At rest, the rocker bar is locked by a support in the horizontal position. At the "start" the pilot disengages this lock. A "flight" consists in lifting the rocker beam by engine thrust. Here, the thrust is set up to 80% by the throttle; a fine adjustment of up to + 20% is achieved via the joystick, resulting in a shear modulation range of 60-100%.
The controller is designed so that the rocker bar is in balance when the throttle is fully open and the stick is at zero. For a rash up then still the scope from hover to maximum thrust available.
Control excursions are possible between + 5 and + 15o to the zero position. The free movement is limited by two shock absorbers in front of and behind the pivot point of the rocker and can be fixed in the mentioned range.
Two different arrangements are provided for the control tests: For Nick exercises, the pilot seat is mounted on the free end of the beam, immediately in front of the engine, which acts as a fuselage engine; In this way, the movements of the planned aircraft about its transverse axis can be simulated with the rocker beam.
For roll exercises, only the position of the pilot's seat is changed; it is arranged on a lateral extension in extension of the pendulum axis. The engine now acts as a wing engine. In this way, the movements of the planned aircraft around its longitudinal axis can be simulated with the rocker beam.
Technical specifications:
Nick length arrangement: 6,330 mm
Roll arrangement:
5,000 mm
Wide pitch arrangement: 3,200 mm
Roll arrangement: 3,500 mm
Height:
3,800 mm
Engine: 1 Rolls Royce RB 108
Max. Engine thrust: 950 kp
Fuel tank volume (1 tank): about 520 l
Hover thrust: about 750 kp
fuel consumption: 1.05 kp / kp.h
Maximum flight time in limbo: 15 - 20 min
Floating rack for VJ 101 C - development (illustration 11)
The floating rack was developed as a simulation unit for the VJ 101 C during its development. Its geometry was designed after the design of the future test aircraft. As a result of the test results could draw immediate conclusions on the behavior of the future aircraft. Such an experimental device allows a significant saving of time, money and risk.
Since 1961 were tested with the Schwebegestell: vertical take-off and landing, hover, control in all three axes and altitude. The control movements are done by changing the thrust (thrust modulation) and - when yawing - by pivoting the wing engines and can be carried out both by hand and with automatic control (autopilot). Therefore, the Schwebefestell also provides excellent services in the training and retraining of test pilots for the VJ 101 C.
The steamer's steel tube hull (with side outriggers), which is unclad because of better access to all units, carries - at the same distances from the center of gravity as the planned aircraft - three RB 108 engines: two at the "wing" ends and one in the fuselage, in front of it the pilot's seat. Likewise, the chassis in gauge, wheelbase and location corresponds to the center of gravity of that of the aircraft. The controller is the same.
In the first experiments, the floating frame was "tied", ie, stored in its center of gravity with universal joint on an extendable column. In March 1962 it flew free for the first time, after vertical start from a concrete slab. Under the fuselage, from rudder to side engine, a sail was stretched to simulate the influence of the soil, simulating the effect of the wings. The results are excellent: in every control function not only manual, but also steerable via autopilot, this experimental unit fulfills all its tasks.
Technical specifications:
Length: 11,500 mm
Width: 10,200 mm
Height: 3,250 mm
Engines: 3 Rolls Royce RB - 108
Max. Thrust per engine: 950 kp
Fuel Tank Volume (2 tanks): about 900 l
Max. Lift-off weight incl. Fuel (545 kg): 2,400 kg
fuel consumption: 1.05 kp / kp.h
Maximum flight time (10% fuel reserve): about 12 min
