Hs 117 Schmetterling | |
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A Schmetterling missile on display at the National Air & Space Museum (NASM), Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
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Type | Surface-to-air (SAM) / Air-to-air (AAM) missile |
Place of origin | Germany |
Production history | |
Designer | Professor Herbert A. Wagner |
Designed | 1942-1943 |
Manufacturer | Henschel Flugzeugwerke |
Variants | Hs 117M (air-to-air missile variant) |
Specifications (Hs 117) | |
Weight | 450 kg (990 lb), 620 kg (1,370 lb) with launch boosters |
Length | 4,200 mm (170 in) |
Diameter | 350 mm (14 in) |
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Warhead | High explosive |
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Engine | 1x BMW 109-558 liquid-fuelled rocket engine 3.7 kN (830 lbf) for 33 sec, followed by 0.588 kN (132 lbf) for 24 sec |
Wingspan | 2,000 mm (79 in) |
Propellant | Tonka-250 (50% triethylamine and 50% xylidine) fuel, with SV-Stoff (nitric acid) oxidiser |
Operational
range |
32 km (20 mi; 17 nmi) |
Flight altitude | 6,000–9,000 m (20,000–30,000 ft) |
Boost time | 2x Schmidding 109-553 Ethylene glycol solid fuel boosters, giving total 17.1 kN (3,800 lbf) thrust for 4 sec. |
Speed | 900–1,000 km/h (560–620 mph; 490–540 kn) |
Guidance
system |
MCLOS; visual guidance by telescope, radio controls; two-man crew |
The Henschel Hs 117 Schmetterling (German for Butterfly) was a radio-guided German surface-to-air missile project developed during World War II. There was also an air-to-air version, the Hs 117H.
The operators used a telescopic sight and a joystick to guide the missile by radio control, which was detonated by acoustic and photoelectric proximity fuses, at 10–20 m (33–66 ft).
In 1941, Professor Herbert A. Wagner (who was previously responsible for the Henschel Hs 293 anti-ship missile) invented the Schmetterling missile and submitted it to the Reich Air Ministry (RLM), who rejected the design because there was no need for more anti-aircraft weaponry.
However, by 1943 the large-scale bombing of Germany caused the RLM to change its mind, and Henschel was given a contract to develop and manufacture it. The team was led by Dr. Herbert Wagner, and it produced a weapon somewhat resembling a bottlenose dolphin with swept wings and cruciform tail.
In May 1944, 59 Hs 117 missiles were tested, some from beneath a Heinkel He 111; over half the trials failed. Mass production was ordered in December 1944, with deployment to start in March 1945. Operational missiles were to be launched from a 37mm gun carriage.
In January 1945, a prototype for mass production was completed, and production of 3,000 missiles a month was anticipated, but on 6 February, SS-Obergruppenführer Hans Kammler cancelled the project.