Panzerblitz (missile)
Panzerblitz is a German anti-tank unguided aerial rocket developed during the Second World War.
Panzerblitz | |
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![]() A Panzerblitz III on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center | |
Type | Rocket |
Place of origin | Germany |
Service history | |
In service | 1945 |
Used by | Luftwaffe |
Wars | World War II |
Specifications | |
Diameter | 80 mm in Panzerblitz I
88 mm in Panzerblitz II 210 mm in Panzerblitz III |
Muzzle velocity | 525 m/s (1,175 mph) |
Effective firing range | 600-1,000 m |
Maximum firing range | 1,500 m |
Filling weight | Unknown |
The missile was based on the R4M Orkan air-to-air rocket used by the Messerschmitt Me 262. It was fitted with either an 80 mm (3.1 in)-diameter standard warhead, in Panzerblitz I, or a 210 mm (8.3 in)-diameter hollow charge warhead, in the Panzerblitz III.
![](../I/Fw_190_A8_Unterseite_Panzerblitz.JPG.webp)
It was intended to be operated by the Henschel Hs 132, which would carry up to eight rockets, complementing or even replacing the cannon armament in the tank-destroying role. The 80mm model was tested extensively in early 1945 from Focke-Wulf Fw 190s, but neither Panzerblitz I nor Panzerblitz III (earmarked exclusively for the Hs 132) were ready for use by the German surrender in May 1945.
A Panzerblitz rocket pod was in development. It would have been for the Ar-234 C and each pod would have contained 20 Panzerblitz rockets. [1]
Specifications
Components
- Compressor:
Performance
- Maximum power output:
References
- Strahlflugzeug Arado Ar 234 ’Blitz’ by Manfred Griehl p.217
Sources
- Green, William. Warplanes of the Third Reich. London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 1970 (fourth impression 1979). ISBN 0-356-02382-6.
- Smith, J.Richard and Kay, Anthony. German Aircraft of the Second World War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1972 (third impression 1978). ISBN 0-370-00024-2.
- Wood, Tony and Gunston, Bill. Hitler's Luftwaffe: A pictorial history and technical encyclopedia of Hitler's air power in World War II. London: Salamander Books Ltd., 1977. ISBN 0-86101-005-1.