The Do P 252 was designed as an all-metal shell construction and was intended as an all-weather destroyer, but also as a night fighter and fighter-bomber. Its attack armament could have been adapted to the respective operational tasks. It normally comprised two 30 mm MK 108s with 2 x 80 and 1 x 60 rounds in the interchangeable nose cone and two MG 213C/20s with 120 rounds each in the fuselage below the front engine. For night fighter missions, it was possible to convert to two MK 108s with 100 rounds each as a fixed inclined armament (70°). For fighter-bomber missions, a bomb load of up to 1000 kg could be carried under the outer wings. The radio and navigation equipment of the Do P 252 was very extensive in keeping with the tasks of this model and was state-of-the-art. The large cockpit with access via a ladder through the nose wheel well was initially designed for two men, but was later enlarged to accommodate three men.
The Do P 252 was equipped with either two Daimler-Benz DB 603 LA or Jumo 213 J engines, which were installed in tandem in the fuselage and drove the counter-rotating, detachable thrust screws in the rear via interlocking long-distance shafts.
In Project 1 of the Do P 252, these were still conventional VDM propellers with adjustable wooden blades and a diameter of 3.20 m.
For Projects 2 and 3, however, the Pfeil propellers were chosen, which represented a technical innovation. They came from the Heine company. The DB 603 LA and Jumo 213 J were two liquid-cooled twelve-cylinder engines with two-stage chargers and MW 50 injection. Both developed a take-off power of over 2000 hp. The exhaust rows of the two engines could be fitted with flame arresters for night-time hunting missions.
The airframe and the wing were also changed several times. Project 1 received a two-spar, all-metal wing with a laminar profile and a span of 16.40 m.
The latter was increased to 18.40 m in Project 2, and the aerodynamic area was also larger at 55 m2 due to the stronger sweep.
Project 3, on the other hand, had a slightly smaller wing with a smaller nose sweep (25°) and a span of 15.80 m. As with the Do 335, the edge of the lower vertical fin was designed as a spring-loaded emergency skid. The arrangement of the tail unit was also adopted from the Do 335.
The projects may be technologically interesting even from today's perspective, but by mid-1944 at the latest it was clear that they would not have been realized given the course of the war and the ever-worsening shortage of materials.
Aviation Classics Issue 04/2012
[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.flugrevue.de/klassiker/nachfolger-der-do-335-dornier-projekte-p-247-p-252/[/URL]
