GENERAL DESCRIPTION. The Rheintocher is a radio-contolled antiaircraft rocket desig-ned for ground launching against bomber formations. The first model Rheintochter 1, is a two stage rocket having a total launching weight of 1,750 kg. The starting rocket has a burning time of only 0.6 second, after which it drops off, the main stage then being au-tomatically iginted. Stabilization was achieved by six fins, attached to the rear of the main body of the rocket and four fins attached to the starting unit. The rocket was to be remote be radio controlled with the possibility of using an infrared homing device to-gether with a proximity fuze to detonate the missile in the midst of the bomber forma-tion. The control surfaces were located at the nose of the missile. It attained a final ve-locity of 360 meters per second, and could reach a height of 6 kilometers with a maxi-mum horizontal range of 12 km.

The Rheintochter 1 was replaced by the development of the Rheintochter 3. The remain-der of this discussion will be on the second model and will go into considerable detail.

In the Rheintochter 3, the rear take-off unit was dispensed with and replaced by two auxililary take-off units mounted on the sides of the body of the rocket. The main rocket stage could be either a liquid or a solid propulsion unit, depending on the availability of fuels. The Rheintochter 3 is designated as R-3f when a liquid propulsion unit is used and R-3p when a solid propellant is employed in the main rocket stage. The control and steering mechanism are identical in both Rheintochter 1 and Rheintochter 3. The Rhein-tochter 3, however is allowed to rotate about its axis in flight and instead of six stabili-zing fins, it is provided with only four. (See fig. 201.)

DETAILS. Airframe. The Rheintochter 3 consists of a main fuselage 500 cm long and 54 cm. in diameter, having four large swept-back main fins and two auxiliary take-off units mounted on the sides of the body between the two pairs of fins. As in the Rheintochter 1, the control surfaces are mounted in the nose section but are of a somewhat different aerodynamic design.

The main fin span is 220 cm. the four fins being attached to the body so that the angle between successive fins is 90°.

As in Rheintochter 1, the main fuselage is constructed partly of aluminum plate, partly of steel alloy plate and partly of a material called ELEKTRON. The fins were to be construc-ted of LIGNOFOL, a highly compressed laminated wood, but for mass production purpo-ses, plywood could have been used.

Length: 500 cm.
Span: 220 cm.
Diameter: 54 cm.

Empty: 525 kg.
Take-off units: 440 kg.
Main stage fuel: 88 kg.
Main stage oxydizer: 336 kg.
Main stage compressed air: 18 kg.
Explosive: 160 kg.
Launching weight: 1,570 kg.
Weight at target: 685 kg.

A. R-3f Liquid Propulsion Unit. The R-3f liquid propulsion unit requires fuel tanks carry-ing 336 kg of Salbei, 88 kg Visol and 18 kg of compressed air at a pressure of 250 atmos-pheres to provide pressure feed to the combustion chamber.

B. R-3p Solid Propellant Unit. The R-3p soild propellant unit utilizes 5 rods of diglucol di-nitrate weighing 90 kg each, making a total weight of 450 kg.

Launching altitude: Angle.
Total launching impulse: 105,000 kg/sec.
Velocity at end of combustion: 410 m/sec.
Velocity at target: 400 - 200 m/sec.
Take-off units: 2 dry powder rocktes.
Take-off unit impulse: 25,000 kg/sec.
Take off unit thrust: 28,000 kg.
Main stage rocket impulse: 80,000 kg/sec.
Main stage burning time: 45 sec.
Main stage thrust: 1,700 - 2,300 kg.

CONTROL SYSTEM. Since remote control radio roll stabilization was found to be unsatis-factory, it was decided that Rheintochter 3 would be allowed to rotate at the rate of one revolution per second about its longitudinal axis, just as X-4 rotates. Since the X-4 gyrocommutator system for converting control impulses to the proper control surfaces in turn was available, it was thought that this system could also be used for Rheintochter 3.

The combination radar tracking and remote control system "Elsass" or possible "Brabant", the decimeter version, was to be used for guiding the flight of the "Rheintochter 3", just a proposed for Rheintochter 1. However, the "Elsass" development was not far enough along to permit fields tests to determine whether it was satisfactory.

WARHEAD AND FUZING. In the liquid propulsion version R-3f, the warhead is carried between the Salbei and Visol fuel tanks in that section of the main fuselage to which the main fins are attached.

In the solid propellant version R-3p, the warhead is located farther forward between the control compartment and the propelling charge. The warhead consists of 150 kg of high explosive.

The fuzing system for Rheintochter 3 had not been finally decided upon. Several plans were under consideration, all of which contemplated the use of a complicated fuzing sys-tem, which would not only serve to detonate the missile, but also take care of detaching the ATO units after one second and igniting the main jet. In addition of course, a time feature would be embodied to detonate the missile after 50 seconds in the air so that it would not fall and explode on friendly territory. The Rheintochter 3 was also to be fitted with an impact fuze and a proximity fuze of some sort, either acoustic, infrared, or radio. Among the proximity fuze considered were "Kranich", "Kakadu", "Marabu", "Fox" and seve-ral others.

As pointed out in the History of Development, plans were also under way to utilizie some sort of homing device in "Rheintochter", but these plans were still in a very nebulous state.

AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT. Like Rheintochter 1, Wasserfall and the other guided AA roc-ket, Rheintochter 3, requires a great dial of auxiliary ground equipment, such as compu-ters, optical gear, range finders etc., for remote control purposes.

LAUNCHING EQUIPMENT. The launching equipment for Rheintochter 3 is identical with that used for Rheintochter 1 and has already been described in the report on the latter missile.

Figure 201 – Rheintochter R-3