The history of post-war rockets on base German WW-II "Wasserfall" missile propulsion

Norbert Brügge, Germany

 Soviet R-101 test vehicle                   

            TG-02/AK-20 ?

One complete Wasserfall experimental airframe was found in Germany by the Soviet's. This airframe was master template, was tested for materials used in construction, and became the source for all dimensions for the Soviet experimental R-101 anti-aircraft missile. At beginning the R-101 used the engine S08.01, similar the German Wasserfall engine. After many tests and the subsequent changes on the vehicle also was used a modified engine Isayev R-101B.36000-0.

A resolution of 17 September 1948 envisioned two test series, consisting of 12 launches in Phase 1 and 18 in Phase 2. By November 1948 the first of the 12 phase 1 rockets arrived for static tests at the firing stands at Kapustin Yar. These were used to test the Russian materials substituted for the German originals, the modified control systems, and so on.

The first 12 phase 1 launches were conducted between 1 January and 1 March 1949. The first dual launch took place on 6 January 1949 (rocket numbers 7 and 8). Typical for the early launches, number 7 lost one exhaust vane in the first second of flight and went out of control. Number 8 experienced severe oscillations and finally lost all of its gas vanes. Experimental flight trials with varying equipment fits began with rocket number 11 (firing order thereafter, numbers 12, 13, 15, 16, 14, 18, 19, 17, 20, 21, 22). The first launches were vertical shots. Later 'dral' shots went quickly from the vertical to a horizontal course.These tests showed the need for a concentrated program to solve defects in the original stabilisation and radio guidance design. Four vanes were added as a result of the tests to provide pitch control. By the end of 1949, the 18 second-series R-101 missiles were ready for test. Phase 2 tests began in December 1949 and were completed in January 1950. These missiles had the revised aerodynamic control scheme, but a whole new set of problems were encountered due to the incompressibility of air at transonic and supersonic velocities. So much rework was required that the prototypes were redesignated according to the differing solutions to the problems encountered. On 17 August 1951 was cancelled the work on the R-101 surface-to-air missiles by resolution.

     
R-101

  U.S. Hermes-A1 test vehicle                           

After several configurations for the Hermes-A1 surface-to-air missile had been studied, it was decided in 1946 to base the missile on the war-time German Wasserfall. This Hermes-A1 was redefined as a pure test vehicle for guidance and control systems. During 1947 and 1948, component flight testing took place on V-2s, but problems with the rocket engine delayed the launch of the first Hermes-A-1 (RV-A-5; CTV-G-5) until 1950. After two failures in May and September 1950, the first fully successful flight occurred on 2 February 1951, followed by two more tests in March and April that year. This concluded the flight test program of the CTV-G-5, which was formally redesignated as RV-A-5 in mid-1951.
The used propellant mixture is not known. Presumably were it Visol and IRFNA (IRFNA=Red Fuming Nitric Acid (94% Nitric Acid, 6% Dinitrogen Tetroxide)
 

 U.S. Hermes-A3 ballistic missiles

Ethyl-Alcohol/LOX

In late 1947, the U.S. Army established preliminary characteristics for the Hermes-A3 program, calling for a liquid-fueled rocket-powered surface-to-surface missile. In early 1948, the designation SSM-G-8 was assigned, but the project progressed very slowly in the first years. This was mainly because of frequent changes in the requirements, which repeatedly necessitated a complete redesign of the projected XSSM-G-8 missile. However, the Hermes-A3 program accelerated somewhat in 1951, when it was split into the RV-A-8 Hermes-A3A interim test vehicle and the SSM-A-16 (SSM-G-16) Hermes-A3B operational missile.
The first flight attempt of an RV-A-8 failed in March 1953, but the second test succeeded in June that year. Until January 1954, a total of seven Hermes A-3As were launched, but only two flights were fully successful. Nevertheless, the RV-A-8's reliable (for its time) high-performace liquid-fueled rocket engine and its inertial guidance system significantly advanced the state-of-the-art in ballistic missile design. Although the Hermes A-3 program was reduced to a pure research effort in June 1953, six XSSM-A-16 Hermes-A3B missiles were launched between May and November 1954. However, only one of these (in October) was fully successful. The XSSM-A-16, originally designed as the prototype for the operational missile, was of similar design but slightly larger than the RV-A-8, and featured a further improved radio/inertial guidance system.

       
RV-A-8
  

 
        
XSSM-A-16

French EOLE (EA-1952) ballistic missile

Ethyl-Alcohol/LOX

The French LRBA in 1946 created a ballistic missile project EA 1946. The rocket was named EOLE (Vehicle using Liquid Oxygen and petroleum Ether). The second static test in 1950 ended in the explosion of the test stand. It was suspected that the mixture petroleum ether/LOX could be hypergolic.
Petroleum-ether was therefore replaced by ethyl-alcohol in a new version of the EOLE rocket (EA 1951). The tank arrangement was also modified; now in tandem instead of concentrically.
Two flight tests took place in November 1952 from Hammaguir. Both ended in failure, the fin arrangement being destroyed at the time of crossing the sound barrier. The EOLE project was cancelled in december 1952.
The nominal launch mass of the rocket would be 3.42 tons of which 2.72 tons are propellants. It had 0.80 m in diameter and is 8 m long. It was therefore decided to launch lightened vehicles with a propellant capacity reduced to 40%. Thrusts higher than 90 kN were obtained.
There no information as to which engine had the EOLE rocket. But there is no doubt that the engine was from the German "Wasserfall" rocket. France had short post the war developed no own engine with a thrust of 90 kN.

  Egyptian Al Kaher-1 missile

Ehtyl-Alcohol/LOX

In 1958, Gamal Abdel Nasser, started the missile development program. Egypt turned to unemployed German scientists and technicians to spearhead its missile efforts.
Although by the departure of the Germans in 1962 resulted in a loss of expertise, Egypt's missile program had already succeeded in developing prototypes. Thus in early 1962, Egypt's first missiles entered the prototype test phase, and in 1962 the government announced that it had successfully test-fired two differently missiles.
A small missile is the Al Kaher-1. It is believed to be a single stage, liquid fueled, unguided rocket, developed on base the French EOLE rocket design. It has a simple wrapped-sheet airframe, with conical nose, flared skirt and four fixed fins. The Al Kaher-1 is about 7.5 m long; the core diameter is 0.80 m; the conical engine bay is widened to ~1.2 m.  The Al Kaher-1 used either directly the engine from German "Wasserfall" missile or the French EOLE rocket. Propellants were Alcohol / LOX. First two missiles were fires at a desert range on July 21, 1962.
  

 U.S. Viking-I sounding rocket

Ehtyl-Alcohol/LOX

The Viking (RTV-N-12) was a single-stage sounding rocket, powered by a Reaction Motors XLR-10-RM2 liquid-fueled rocket engine. The combustion chamber of the engine is identical to the German Wasserfall engine. The Viking's fuel tanks were integral with the rocket's fuselage, saving a significant amount of weight. The rocket used four tailfins for stabilization and had a gimballed nozzle for active pitch/yaw control by the autopilot system. No two Vikings were exactly identical because the results of each firing would be used to implement improvements in the next vehicle. A total of seven Vikings of the original basic RTV-N-12 design were built and launched, and all flights were at least partially successful. The highest altitude was reached by Viking No.7 on 7 August 1951, which flew to 219 km. The scientific payloads carried by the RTV-N-12 included temperature, density and composition measurements in the upper atmosphere, measurements of solar and cosmic radiation, and ionospheric experiments.

Photo source: http://www.postwarv2.com/viking/sphotos/photos.html

 U.S Viking-II sounding rocket

Ehtyl-Alcohol/LOX

Viking rockets No.8 and later were of a significantly revised design, and were formally designated RTV-N-12A. Externally, the RTV-N-12a was slightly shorter than the RTV-N-12, had a much larger diameter, and used triangular fins. The new external shape allowed the carriage of more fuel without a penalty in empty weight. Another new feature were small jets to control the missile's attitude outside the atmosphere after main engine shutdown. The first RTV-N-12A, Viking No.8, was destroyed during a static engine test in June 1952, but Viking No.9 flew successfully in December that year. The highest altitude of any Viking was reached by No.11 on 24 May 1954 with 254 km. The last two Vikings (No.13/14) were used as test vehicles (with new propulsion) in the Vanguard satellite launch vehicle program.

Photo source: http://www.postwarv2.com/viking/sphotos/photos.html
 

 Egyptian Al Kaher-2 ballistic missile

Ehtyl-Alcohol/LOX

In 1958, Gamal Abdel Nasser, started the missile development program. Egypt turned to unemployed German scientists and technicians to spearhead its missile efforts.
Although by the departure of the Germans in 1962 resulted in a loss of expertise, Egypt's missile program had already succeeded in developing prototypes. Thus in early 1962, Egypt's first missiles entered the prototype test phase, and in 1962 the government announced that it had successfully test-fired two differently missiles.
A larger missile is the Al Kaher-2. It is believed to be a single stage, liquid fueled, unguided rocket developed on base the U.S. Viking sounding rocket technology. It was about 12 m long and had a continuous diameter of about 1.2 m. Noticeable are delta-shaped fins, much like the at the US Viking.
The engine was taken either directly from the German "Wasserfall" missile or the French EOLE. Possibly it was an improved engine XLR-10-RM2 from the U.S. Viking sounding rocket (93 kN thrust). Propellants were Alcohol / LOX. First two missiles were fires at a desert range on July 21, 1962.

* estimated data