Luftwaffe Heinkel He 177 LSP, June 1944

The Story
The summer sun beat down on Rechlin Airfield, Germany, on June 11th, 1944. Hauptmann Erich von Süder, a wiry man with steely blue eyes, adjusted the straps of his pressure suit one last time. Today was the day. He was about to climb into the cockpit of the DFS-346, a sleek, rocket-powered aircraft perched precariously on the back of a modified Heinkel He 177 bomber. This wasn't just any test flight; it was a gamble for the future of German aviation, a desperate push to break the sound barrier and achieve unimaginable speed.
The Heinkel, stripped of its guns and laden with monitoring equipment, lumbered down the runway, its engines roaring in protest. Süder felt the vibrations course through his body as they reached takeoff speed. Minutes later, they were airborne, a monstrous flying platform carrying a fragile bird of prey.
Reaching their designated launch point north of Rügen Island, the Heinkel dipped its nose, and with a jolt and a bang, the DFS-346 was released. Süder flicked a switch, and a white-hot flame erupted from the rocket engine behind him. The tiny craft lurched forward with a violence that stole his breath. G-forces pressed him into his seat as the DFS-346 rocketed skyward.
The world became a blur of blue and white. The air grew thin and frigid, turning Süder's exposed skin numb. He fought to control the bucking craft, the flimsy metal skin groaning under the immense strain. The control stick vibrated in his hands, a symphony of warning tremors. This was uncharted territory, a dance with the very limits of physics.
Then, the impossible happened. The frantic shaking intensified, morphing into a sustained thrumming. Süder glanced at his instruments – Mach 1.0... 1.1... and finally, a heart-stopping 1.2. They had broken the sound barrier. A surge of exhilaration coursed through him, quickly replaced by the sobering knowledge of the dangers that still lurked.
Säder throttled back, nursing the precious fuel. Every fiber of his being was focused on keeping the fragile craft from disintegrating. Slowly, the violent shaking subsided, replaced by a nerve-wracking silence as he glided back towards Peenemünde.
The landing was a tense affair, the Heinkel 177 LSP a welcome sight as Süder brought the DFS-346 down in a whisper. As his feet touched solid ground, a wave of relief washed over him, so powerful it almost brought him to his knees. He had stared into the abyss and emerged victorious.
News of the successful flight, shrouded in secrecy, rippled through the upper echelons of the German high command. A glimmer of hope flickered amidst the encroaching darkness of war. The DFS-346, a testament to human ambition and audacity, had taken them a giant leap forward. But even as champagne corks popped in dimly lit offices, a somber truth hung in the air – this was just the beginning. The race for ultimate speed had begun, and the stakes couldn't be higher.


The Aircraft

In late 1943 the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS) started the development of a high-speed, experimental rocket plane, the DFS-346.
With a projected altitude of 30.500 meter the aircraft should be able to break the sound barrier. The experimental plane should be the basis for a reconnaissance aircraft with a speed up to Mach 2.3.

It was planned to launch the aircraft form a Dornier Do 217 bomber, but during the development of the DFS-346, this was shifted to a modified Heinkel He 177 bomber, the Heinkel He 177 LSP (Luft-Start-Plattform, air-launch-platform).
The Heinkel He 177 LSP had a modified tail with two fins to mount the DFS-346 on top of the plane. All defensive armament was removed, and the aircraft was equipped with various control station to monitor data form the DFS-346 during the flight.

The single He 177 LSP was completed by March 1944 and made various test flights while the DFS-346 was still under construction. It took until June 1944 until the DFS-346 as ready for its first launch.
On June 11, 1944, the He 1777 LSP with the DFS-on top launched from Rechlin and headed north to the Baltic Sea cost. The DFS-346 was piloted by test pilot Hauptmann Erich von Süder. Escorted by a He 111 with camera equipment and two Me 109 fighters, the aircraft reached its launch position north of Rügen at an altitude of 7000m. Entering a shallow descent, the DFS-346 was released at 13:23 and ignited its rocket engine a few moments later. After a quick launch to 12.500m the plane went into level flight and transonic effects started to show. However, despite heavy shaking, the aircraft was able to break the sound barrier, reaching a top speed of Mach 1.2. With slightly reduced thrust, von Süder continued its flight test and finally began his glide towards Peenemünde airfield where the He 177 LSP was also heading for. Both aircraft landed there safely, but due to wartime secrecy, the result of this flight was not officially published.

Between June and December 1944, the DFS made five other successful test flights with different configuration of the engines an on-board equipment. On its flight of December 12, the DFS-346 was heavily damaged during landing when the landing skid broke and was not in a flyable condition anymore.
A second incomplete prototype, being under construction at Sibel in Halle, was captured by Soviet troops at the end of the war.

So much about the What-If, but what did really happen to the DFS-346?

Since the DFS lacked the facilities for all-metal construction, Siebel Werke was assigned the prototype build. However, the project was captured by the Soviet Red Army before completion.

Soviet Development and Testing
After the war, the Soviets continued development under OKB-2. The captured aircraft, renamed "Samolyot 346," underwent wind tunnel tests that revealed aerodynamic shortcomings leading to uncontrollable stalls. To address this, extended wing fences were installed on a more advanced version. The escape capsule system was also tested and deemed promising. Despite indications that the aircraft wouldn't break the sound barrier, the Soviets proceeded with further construction and testing.

Prototypes and Flight Tests
In 1947, an unpowered glider version, the 346-P, was built to test flight characteristics. Carried aloft by a B-29 bomber, the 346-P successfully completed a series of test flights with pilot Wolfgang Ziese. This led to the construction of three more prototypes intended for powered flight.
The first powered prototype, the 346-1, experienced issues during its maiden flight in 1948. Ziese struggled to maintain control and the landing resulted in a crash due to landing gear failure and an unreliable pilot safety harness. The aircraft was repaired and modified as the 346-2, but further test flights with this version also ended with fuselage damage. After additional repairs, Ziese resumed unpowered test flights with the 346-2 and later the 346-3 in 1951.

Final Flights and Program Cancellation
The mid-1951 completion of the 346-3 allowed for powered flight testing. Due to ongoing stability concerns, the maximum speed was limited to Mach 0.9. Ziese conducted powered flights in August and September of 1951. However, the final flight ended tragically. After reaching high speed, Ziese lost control of the aircraft and was forced to eject. The 346-3 crashed, and with the loss of the aircraft, the DFS 346 program was terminated.
In conclusion, the DFS 346, a captured German project, showcased Soviet ambition in high-speed rocket-powered aircraft. Despite overcoming initial challenges and completing several test flights, the program ultimately failed due to the aircraft's inherent instability at high speeds.























The Model

This is an old Airfix 1/72 model of the Heinkel He 177. The tail was modified form a single to a twin rudder, printed in resin. All armament was removed and the location of the top gun turrets are used as the founding for the clamps to hold the DFS-346. Those were 3D designed and printed in resin as well.
A few minor parts had to be printed to replace or enhance original parts.
As the original decals were unusable, a set of Paddinghaus decals were used.

I do like that, the red nacelle's really make it stand out 

That is very nice and the back story is marvelous. I thing the ministry of Axis acquisitions would like to get their mitts on that.