The second of four "Strahljager" single-seat, single-engine fighter designs promoted by engine-maker BMW was recognized simply as "Projekt II". This offering reversed a few of the design decisions of the earlier P.I detailed elsewhere on this site but relocating the dorsal engine placement to the ventral line, employing a more conventional single-finned tail unit, and positioning the pilot in the prone position. The unique prone approach offered a considerably smaller footprint for the fighter, which would have carried the company's own BMW 003 turbojet engine for power, and theoretically would have allowed the pilot's body to incur forces at higher angles of attack.
The mainplanes were set just ahead of midships and the horizontal planes mounted at the midway point of the tailfin. Sweepback was only apparent along the wing's leading edge. With the engine's placement at the belly of the design, a straight-through configuration meant reduced ductwork and force-defeating turns. The intake sat at the nose with the exhaust port seen just under the tail stem (forcing the empennage to be slightly raised as a result). To round things out, a retractable tricycle undercarriage was to be featured for ground-running.
Like the P.I before it, the P.II would have featured 2 x 30mm MK 108 automatic cannons as primary armament, these seated in the wings (one gun to a wing) due to the small profile nose section dominated by the air intake as well as the cockpit itself.
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Specifications
Bayerische Motoren Werke / Bavarian Motor Works (BMW) - Nazi Germany Manufacturer(s)
AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT
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
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.
29.5 ft (9.00 meters) Length
24.4 ft (7.43 meters) Width/Span
8.4 ft (2.57 meters) Height
3,417 lb (1,550 kilograms) Empty Weight
6,063 lb (2,750 kilograms) Maximum Take-Off Weight
Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represents the most popular modern mainplane arrangement.
Shoulder-Mounted
Mainplanes are mounted at the upper section of the fuselage, generally at the imaginary line intersecting the pilot's shoulders.
Straight
The planform involves use of basic, straight mainplane members.
1 x BMW 003 turbojet engine developing between 1,345lb and 1,750lb of thrust. Propulsion
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