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IT mM Ico i — HE SS IEA Tan a ne pe =. 146 Above left: Bolkéw P 110.1 VTOL interceptor concept designed as an alternative to the He 231. via Bill Rose Above right: The SNECMA C.400 P.2 experimental VTOL test vehicle hovers in mid-air during a test flight near the mobile access gantry. SNECMA Left: BTZ early design study for single-seat VTOL fighter aircraft using annular wing and turbojet propulsion. In an emergency, the cockpit capsule can be detached using a rocket escape system. via Bill Rose Below left: A design by BTZ for a single-seat VTOL fighter aircraft designated Bruche, which evolved into the SNECMA C.450. via Bill Rose propulsion. The Advanced Coléoptére was given the codename AP507 and it was to have an overall length of 36ft (11.0m) and an annu- lar wing of 8ft 9in (2.7m) diameter. Maximum speed was estimated at Mach 3, witha ceiling of 80,000ft (24,384m), and the armament would be two or possibly four air-to-air mis- siles mounted outside the wing. In the meantime BTZ had been working with Heinkel engineers on the He 231 design for West Germany’s Luftwaffe, which shared similarities with the AP507 but looked more like a comic-strip spaceship with four large triangular wings that contained the landing gear. Power for the Luftwaffe aircraft was to be provided by a single General Electric J85 gas turbine with reheat and a ramjet option. Performance was expected to be similar to the AP507 and the pilot flew the aircraft in a prone position. Envisaged armament was a single 25mm cannon or two missiles using an alternative wing design. It is not known how far the engineering studies progressed but models were wind tunnel tested before the He 231 was abandoned. Secret Projects: Flying Saucer Aircraft