DFS 194
German rocket-powered aircraft prototype
title: "DFS 194" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1940s-german-experimental-aircraft", "rocket-powered-aircraft", "tailless-aircraft", "dfs-aircraft", "aircraft-first-flown-in-1940"] description: "German rocket-powered aircraft prototype" topic_path: "geography/germany" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DFS_194" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary German rocket-powered aircraft prototype ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox aircraft"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | DFS 194 |
| image | DFS194.JPG |
| caption | Model of DFS 194 |
| type | Experimental |
| manufacturer | Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug |
| designer | Alexander Lippisch |
| first_flight | 1940 |
| number_built | One |
| primary_user | Luftwaffe |
| developed_from | DFS 40 |
| variants | Messerschmitt Me 163 |
| :: |
|name = DFS 194 |image = DFS194.JPG |caption =Model of DFS 194 |type = Experimental |manufacturer = Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug |designer = Alexander Lippisch |first_flight = 1940 |introduction = |retired = |produced = |number_built = One |status = |unit cost = |primary_user = Luftwaffe |more_users = |developed_from = DFS 40 |variants = Messerschmitt Me 163
The DFS 194 was a rocket-powered aircraft designed by Alexander Lippisch at the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS - "German Institute for Sailplane Flight").
Design and development
The DFS 194 was based on the Alexander Lippisch Delta series of tailless designs. As originally conceived, it would have been a tailless aircraft similar to his DFS 40, powered by a conventional piston engine driving a pusher propeller. The airframe was completed in this configuration in March 1938.
Lippisch's designs had attracted the attention of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM - Reich Aviation Ministry) who believed that tailless aircraft were the best basis for a rocket-powered fighter. On January 2, 1939, Lippisch and his team were transferred to the Messerschmitt company to begin work on such an aircraft, under what was known as Project X. The DFS-194 was modified to accept a Walter R I-203 rocket engine designed by Hellmuth Walter, and by October, the aircraft was undergoing engine tests at Peenemünde.
These were followed by glide tests in early 1940 leading to the first powered flight in August with Heini Dittmar at the controls. The flight went well, the DFS 194 reaching 550 km/h, bettering the speed of the earlier (20 July 1939), Walter rocket powered Heinkel He 176.
The aircraft proved to have excellent flying characteristics and proved safe to fly at nearly twice the anticipated speed. These results paved the way for the next stage of the project, which now received priority status from the RLM. The Messerschmitt Me 163, a considerably refined design along the same basic lines, flew the following year.
Specifications
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/KN_DFS194_1939.jpg" caption="DFS 194"] ::
|plane or copter?=plane |jet or prop?=jet |ref=www.wardrawings.be |crew= one, pilot |capacity= |payload main = |payload alt = |payload more = |length main= 20 ft 11 in |length alt= 6.4 m |span main= 34 ft 1 in |span alt= 10.4 m |height main= 7 ft |height alt= 2.13 m |area main= 193 ft2 |area alt= 18 m2 |airfoil= |empty weight main= |empty weight alt= |loaded weight main= 4,620 lb |loaded weight alt= 2,100 kg |useful load main= |useful load alt= |max takeoff weight main= |max takeoff weight alt= |more general= |engine (jet)= Walter R I-203 |type of jet= rocket |number of jets= 1 |thrust main= 882 lbf |thrust alt= 3.9 kN |thrust original= |afterburning thrust main= |afterburning thrust alt=
|max speed main= 343 mph |max speed alt= 550 km/h |cruise speed main= |cruise speed alt= |never exceed speed main= |never exceed speed alt= |stall speed main= |stall speed alt= |range main= |range alt= |ceiling main= |ceiling alt= |climb rate main= 5,297 ft/min |climb rate alt= 1,615 m/min |loading main= |loading alt= |thrust/weight= |power/mass main= |power/mass alt= |more performance= |armament= |avionics=
References
References
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::