Doblhoff WNF 342


The Doblhoff/WNF 342 was the first helicopter to take off and land using tip jets to drive the rotor.

Development

The WNF 342 was designed for a German Navy requirement for an observation platform for use from small ships and submarines.
The conventional piston engine drove both a small propeller and an air compressor to provide air through the rotor head and hollow rotor blades to combustion chambers at the rotor tips.

Variants

V1/V2: The first helicopter was initially powered by a engine and then a engine —both by Walter Mikron. It first flew in 1943, and was captured with V4 at Zell am See.
V3: The second WNF 342 had a larger rotor and was destroyed during testing.V4: The last unit produced was a two-seat variant with new collective and cyclic controls. After 25 flight hours it was captured by United States forces and on July 19, 1945, shipped to the US under Operation Lusty on HMS Reaper.

Specifications (V4)