Dalla pubblicazione "Germany's Secret Weapons In WW II" di R. Ford
THE RUHRSTAHL X-7 'ROTTKÄPPCHEN'
An altogether more elegant solution to the problem of killing tanks on the battlefield at something greater
than suicidally close quarters (the main problem with the Panzerfaust and 'Panzerschreck') was put forward
by Ruhrstahl. We have already encountered this company as the producers of the 'Fritz-X' guided bomb
and the X-4 air-to-air guided missile, in response to HWA's request in 1944. The X-7 'Rottkäppchen'
('Red Riding Hood') was essentially similar in nature to the X-4 AAM, with its conventional HE warhead
exchanged for a 2.5kg (5.51b) shaped charge, and with its control system cunningly simplified. Like the X-4,
the X-7 was winged (two wings only, in this case, with parabolic leading and trailing edges, with spools
from which the control wire paid out located at their tips) and revolved slowly in flight, both pitch and yaw
being controlled by a single spade-like vane or fin mounted at the end of a curved arm which, when the
missile was launched, hung down and behind the body. As the missile rotated (once again, at a rate of
about one complete turn per second), this was able to exercise control over both pitch and yaw, a gyroscopic
switch transferring the signals to actuate the simple spoiler as it turned from the vertical to the horizontal
plane and so on, an elegant solution indeed. The X-7 was powered by two WASAG solid-fuel
rockets whose diglycol propellant was in the form of two concentric tubes. The first charge gave a thrust of
68kg (1501b) for two and a half seconds to launch the missile into flight and get it up to its 360km/h (224
mph) operating speed; the second gave 5.5kg (121b) of thrust for eight seconds (which was actually longer
by a considerable margin than the flight was likely to last) to sustain it. Maximum range was to have been
around 1200m (1310 yards). It is thought that a total of a few hundred Ruhrstahl X-7s were manufactured,
and that most were consumed in testing, but there is some evidence to suggest that some made it into the
field, and were expended in combat on the Eastern Front during 1945. There are unconfirmed reports that
the X-7 performed satisfactorily, and was able to deal even with the JS-1 'Stalin' heavy tank, which was
impervious to virtually everything else at anything.
A riguardo del Vg-15 niente, neanche su "Encyclopedia Of WWII Weapons" di C. Bishop.
Allego foto dell'X-4.
Stefano
File allegato:
X4.jpg (Dimensioni del file: 151.14 kb; 111 Hits)
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....le mie gallerie.... matr. n° 895