It looks like there is a really big gun on the back of this aircraft.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BQVqnYCAlZU/
I found it on Instagram. What is this?
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
6
-
11$\begingroup$ The "big gun" is a rocket engine. $\endgroup$– SimonFeb 10, 2017 at 18:25
-
22$\begingroup$ @Simon, it definitely is not a rocket engine; this engine is air-breathing (pulse jet). $\endgroup$– Jan HudecFeb 10, 2017 at 19:37
-
$\begingroup$ Looking at the better quality picture in ymb1's answer, it looks more like a scope to me... $\endgroup$– FreeManFeb 10, 2017 at 21:30
-
$\begingroup$ @JanHudec Cough, cough, er, that's what I meant. ;) Was thinking of V2, which of course looks nothing like this. I'll get my coat. $\endgroup$– SimonFeb 10, 2017 at 22:09
-
1$\begingroup$ Now, if you want an aircraft with a big gun, I suggest the Hs-129 B-3 $\endgroup$– NZKshatriyaFeb 11, 2017 at 22:36
|
Show 1 more comment
1 Answer
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
3
That's a German WWII V-1 flying bomb.
It was an early cruise missile and the first production aircraft to use a pulsejet for power.
The pulsejet being the tube on top.
(Source)
-
5$\begingroup$ The Germans used to launch these across the English Channel and the brits would defend against them by shooting them down with spitfires. $\endgroup$– OctopusFeb 10, 2017 at 20:01
-
14$\begingroup$ Or by tipping them over with wing-to-wing near contact! Thanks, ymb1, I've spent the last 3 hours reading up on the V-1, V-2 and various other German inventions. It was a nice way to pass a Friday afternoon... $\endgroup$– FreeManFeb 10, 2017 at 21:29
-
$\begingroup$ @FreeMan And by AA guns controlled by trajectory-predicting control systems. Check out this lecture Between Human And Machine: Feedback, Control and Computing Before Cybernetics at 00:43 $\endgroup$ May 26, 2017 at 22:53