Focke-Wulf Super Lorin

Rocket- / Ramjet-Powered Fighter-Interceptor Aircraft Concept [ 1945 ]

Like so many other German Luftwaffe paper airplane projects of World War 2, the rocket-and-ramjet-powered Super Lorin interceptor failed to materialize before the end.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/15/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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The "Super Lorin" stood as one of the many "paper airplane" projects undertaken by German aviation during World War 2 (1939-1945). The aircraft was being drawn up by engineers of the storied concern of Focke-Wulf (makers of the famous Fw 190 fighter) and appeared in the latter stages of the conflict as a possible fighter-interceptor solution. It was to utilize several advanced concepts of the time including swept-back wing surfaces and ramjet engine propulsion for cruising. Ramjets gained popularity during the war for their promised speeds though their key limitation lay in the inability to propel an aircraft from complete rest - as such ramjets required a primary form of assisted take-offs such as rocket power. Design of the Super Lorin is attributed to aviation engineer Heinz von Halen.

The Super Lorin utilized a stout, rounded fuselage with a bubble-style canopy over the nose. The nose also featured an intake to aspirate the rocket engine within, this installation required to help reach the ramjet's minimum take-over speed of around 150 miles per hour. The rocket sat in the belly of the machine and exhausted through a port under the tail unit. The wing mainplanes were set ahead of midships and featured considerable sweep along both the leading and trailing edges while being mid-mounted along the sides of the fuselage. The tail unit extended aft of the mainplanes and featured a single vertical fin as well as two upward-canted horizontal planes - each of these planes containing a ramjet engine installation at its tip. The ramjets were to be of an in-house Lorin-designed and developed solution. The close positioning of these engines to the body of the aircraft was intended to limit airflow disruptions and produce a more pleasing, aerodynamically refined shape. The undercarriage was all-wheeled and involve three legs (two main and one under the nose) in a tricycle arrangement, completely retractable within the body of the aircraft. With seating for one crew, the aircraft's proposed armament was 2 x 30mm MK 108 series autocannons which would have given the fast fighter a hefty punch against Allied bombers. The cannons were featured in mountings under the nose at either side of the rocket intake port. The only recorded dimensions of the aircraft were a length of 11.6 meters and a wingspan of 7.6 meters.

Like other Luftwaffe paper airplane projects, the Super Lorin was not constructed in any physical form before the end of the war for Germany in May of 1945. The aircraft was being designed alongside another Focke-Wulf fighter-interceptor - the Ta 283 (detailed elsewhere on this site) - which also did not see the light of day by the end.

Performance figures listed for this record are purely estimated by the author based on similar developments of the period.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1945

Origin

Nazi Germany

Status

CANCELLED
Development Ended.

Crew

1

Production

0
UNITS

Focke-Wulf - Nazi Germany

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Nazi Germany

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.

✓ Interception
Ability to intercept inbound aerial threats by way of high-performance, typically speed and rate-of-climb.

✓ X-Plane (Developmental, Prototype, Technology Demonstrator)
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.

Length

38.1 ft
(11.60 m)

Width/Span

24.9 ft
(7.60 m)

MTOW

12,015 lb
(5,450 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Focke-Wulf Super Lorin production variant)

Installed: 1 x Rocket Engine for initial thrust with 2 x Lorin ramjet engines for cruising propulsion.

Max Speed

621 mph
(1,000 kph | 540 kts)

Ceiling

29,528 ft
(9,000 m | 6 mi)

Range

404 mi
(650 km | 1,204 nm)

Rate-of-Climb

3,500 ft/min
(1,067 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Focke-Wulf Super Lorin production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

PROPOSED:
2 x 30mm MK 108 cannons in nose.

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft automatic cannon

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 0

"Super Lorin" - Base Project Name

General Assessment

Firepower

Performance

Survivability

Versatility

Impact

Values are derrived from a variety of categories related to the design, overall function, and historical influence of this aircraft in aviation history.

Overall Rating

The overall rating takes into account over 60 individual factors related to this aircraft entry.

24

Rating is out of a possible 100 points.

Relative Maximum Speed

Hi: 750mph

Lo: 375mph

This entry's maximum listed speed (621mph).

Graph average of 563 miles-per-hour.

City-to-City Ranges

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Focke-Wulf Super Lorin operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

Max Altitude Visualization

Design Balance

The three qualities reflected above are altitude, speed, and range.

Aviation Era Span

Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.

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