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| Fliegerfaust/Luftfaust | |
|---|---|
 A replicaFliegerfaust B | |
| Type | Surface-to-air unguidedmissile system |
| Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1945 |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | HASAG |
| Produced | 1945 |
| No. built | Only a few produced. |
| Variants | Fliegerfaust A, Fliegerfaust B |
| Specifications (Fliegerfaust B) | |
| Mass | 6.5 kg (14 lb 5 oz) loaded |
| Length | 150 cm (4 ft 11 in) |
| Cartridge | standard 20 mm shells fitted withrocket engines |
| Caliber | 20 mm |
| Barrels | 9 |
| Muzzle velocity | 350 m/s |
| Feed system | 9-round loaders |
| Sights | simpleiron sight |
TheFliegerfaust (lit. "pilot fist","plane fist", or "aviator fist"), also known as the "Luftfaust" (lit. "air fist"), was a German prototype of a man-portable, multi-barreled, unguidedrocket launcher, designed to destroy enemyground attack planes.
Ordered into production in the last year of World War II, only a few were made and used before theend of the war in Europe.
Designed byHugo Schneider AG (HASAG) ofLeipzig in 1944, theLuftfaust was produced in two different versions.
The first version, which has been calledLuftfaust A, had four one-metre long 20mm barrels stacked one on top of another. These fired 20mm calibre projectiles (weighing 90g and containing 19g of explosive) which were standard 20 mmMinengeschoss as used in German aircraft cannon, propelled by a small rocket and stabilised with fins. These were disposable weapons.
The second version, theLuftfaust B, renamed toFliegerfaust in February 1945, increased the number of barrels to nine arranged in a circle, and increased the barrels' length. The total length was 150cm and it weighed 6.5 kg loaded. The firing sequence was four rounds from every other barrel followed by the remaining five after a 0.1 second delay. The delay was meant to prevent the projectiles from getting damaged by the previous launches' exhaust fumes, which could also interfere with their courses. Some sources,[clarification needed] however, state that the barrels were fired individually with a delay of 2 seconds between each ignition.
TheFliegerfaust rocket projectiles were spin stabilized; some of the rocket exhaust was directed out through four small angled holes drilled around the exhaust. causing it to rotate.
A six barrel 30 mm prototype was also constructed.
TheFliegerfaust was not a successful weapon because of its small effective range. The dispersion of its projectiles - up to 20% of the range - proved to be too large, and the anticipated range of 500 m (1,600 ft) was never attained.
Although 10,000 launchers and 4 million rockets were ordered in 1945 few were produced. About 80 of these weapons were used in combat trials by a unit based atSaarbrücken in April 1945.
However, a 1945 photograph of theHotel Adlon, directly opposite theBrandenburg Gate in Berlin, clearly shows at least 3 expended Fliegerfaust B's lying in the rubble.[1]
Examples of theLuftfaust andFliegerfaust are heldMilitärhistorische Museum (MHM) Dresden.