Despite the successes encountered by the German Luftwaffe with their famous Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive bombers in the early phases of World War 2 (1939-1945), the system was becoming obsolete by the middle war years and a search for a successor was all but inevitable. This led to a new RLM requirement of February 1944 which called for a tactical multi-role bomber capable of reproducing the combat results of the aging Ju 87. Blohm and Voss submitted several designs for the requirement and one of these became the P.194. Like so many other B&V submissions for Luftwaffe consideration, the P.194 was from the mind of aviation engineer Richard Vogt.
B&V designs became some of the more unorthodox aircraft designs of the war with Vogt's chief achievement of this lot becoming the "asymmetric" Bv 141. The Bv 141 took on a highly unconventional arrangement in which the aircraft utilized a typical tubular fuselage housing the engine while a separate nacelle was used to house the cockpit. The fuselage and cockpit were both offset from the centerline, the fuselage to portside and the cockpit to starboard. A wing mainplane was driven through the design and provided traditional function for the aircraft. The empennage was attached to the unmanned fuselage portion and displayed a single horizontal plane (set to portside) as well as a single vertical tail fin. The result became what was believed to be a better-balanced aircraft and, despite its radical design, some 28 of the type were believed to have been constructed. The aircraft first flew on February 25th, 1938 and was adopted in limited number for the light bomber / reconnaissance role. Its restricted production reach was largely due to the availability of the engine required but, other that this, the asymmetric design was proven sound enough for military service. The aircraft was also directly challenged by the more conventional Focke-Wulf Fw 189 "Eagle Owl ("Uhu")", a twin-engine, twin-boom offering of which 864 were eventually procured by the Luftwaffe.
The P.194 was to carry a single crewmember in the cockpit nacelle. The wing mainplane, a straight assembly with clipped tips, ran through both the fuselage tube and the cockpit nacelle. The cockpit was set at the front of the nacelle with armament below and the turbojet engine to also reside in this structure. Thusly, the main fuselage could be reserved for the conventional powerplant, required fuel stores, and an internal bomb bay. A "tail-dragger" wheeled and retractable undercarriage was intended for the aircraft. Dimensions included a length of 12 meters, a wingspan of 15.3 meters, and a height of 3.7 meters. Empty weight was estimated at 14,330 pounds with a gross weight of 20,615 pounds.
Proposed armament, to help fulfill the ground attack requirement, was 2 x 30mm MK 103 cannons paired with 2 x 20mm MG 151/20 cannons - all concentrated in the cockpit nacelle. For bombing runs, the aircraft was designed to carry up to 1,100 pounds of bombs through the internal bomb bay found in the fuselage. It is possible that the aircraft could have also carried externally-mounted stores such as rockets under the wings.
Blohm and Voss drew up several variants for the P.194 project and this included the P.194.00-101 with its 52-foot wingspan. The intake opening for the turbojet engine resided under the cockpit. The P.194.01-02 emerged with a 50-foot wingspan and featured a more useful bubble canopy. The P.194.02-01 was to fit the turbojet under the cockpit as opposed to behind it. P.194.03-01 installed the turbojet intakes at the wing roots to either side of the cockpit nacelle and also feature a 50-foot wingspan with bubble canopy.
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
✓Ground Attack (Bombing, Strafing)
Ability to conduct aerial bombing of ground targets by way of (but not limited to) guns, bombs, missiles, rockets, and the like.
✓Close-Air Support (CAS)
Developed to operate in close proximity to active ground elements by way of a broad array of air-to-ground ordnance and munitions options.
✓X-Plane (Developmental, Prototype, Technology Demonstrator)
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.
Length
39.7 ft (12.10 m)
Width/Span
50.2 ft (15.30 m)
Height
12.1 ft (3.70 m)
Empty Wgt
14,330 lb (6,500 kg)
MTOW
20,613 lb (9,350 kg)
Wgt Diff
+6,283 lb (+2,850 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Blohm and Voss Bv P.194 production variant)
Installed:
1 x BMW 801D 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine developing 1,600 horsepower; 1 x Junkers Jumo 109-004 turbojet engine developing 2,000 lb of thrust.
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Blohm and Voss Bv P.194 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 103 cannons in nose.
2 x 20mm MG 151/20 cannons in nose.
OPTIONAL:
Up to 1,100 lb of conventional drop bombs / stores held in an internal bomb bay.
Supported Types
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Hardpoint Mountings: 0
P.194 - Base Project Designation
P.194.00-101 - 52 foot wingspan; turbojet intake under the cockpit nacelle.
P.194.01-02 - 50 foot wingspan; bubble-style canopy
P.194.02-01 - 50 foot wingspan; turbojet installation under cockpit.
P.194.03-01 - 50 foot wingspan; turbojet intakes mounted to cockpit nacelle sides.
Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.
Images Gallery
1 / 1
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.
Nazi Germany
