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SEZIONE mn SEZIONE x-y a . : b Ae LU. QL UX wep del disco a CH gas gs Co. Ye AQavau : [- Lon Darke sale Hane { ee Akon oe vine yey Now . Doake § oloate Prana » ad \ Above: A drawing made by Giuseppe Belluzzo in 1942, which appeared in Italian newspapers during 1950. It appears to show the turbine propulsion system for a flying disc design. Belluzzo claimed to have been involved with work being undertaken by German engineers to develop a flying disc aircraft. via Bill Rose Right: This drawing made by Dr Giuseppe Belluzzo shows the main features of a flying disc-shaped vehicle, which he produced in the early 1940s. Belluzzo has been linked to the Heinkel-BMW project at Prague, but there is no evidence to substantiate this. via Bill Rose based at the Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen facility was never allowed to achieve mass production with its jet engine designs, and the majority of Luftwaffe contracts went to BMW and Junkers. BMW’s Bramo division at Berlin-Spandau were at the cutting edge of jet engine research, employing many of the world’s finest engineers with more than five thousand full-time workers on site. Almost every new idea was explored and, conceivably, one of Zborowski’s teams may have built an exotic high-powered Radial Flow Gas Turbine (RFGT) engine (a flat pan- cake design - working edge-on during level flight) that was ideally suited to Schriever’s V3 circular-winged aircraft. This became an inte- gral part of the design. based at the Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen facility was on site. Almost every new idea was explored The V3 prototype was probably completed never allowed to achieve mass production and, conceivably, one of Zborowski’s teams during the autumn of 1944 and sketchy details with its jet engine designs, and the majority of | may have built an exotic high-powered Radial _ suggest that it was a major improvement over Luftwaffe contracts went to BMW and Junkers. Flow Gas Turbine (RFGT) engine (a flat pan- _ the previous aircraft. V3 is described as having BMW’s Bramo division at Berlin-Spandau were cake design — working edge-on during level a similar appearance to the Flightwheel, with at the cutting edge of jet engine research, flight) that was ideally suited to Schriever’s V3. an increased diameter of about 40 to 50ft (12.2 employing many of the world’s finestengineers _circular-winged aircraft. This became an inte- to 15.2m) and possibly using a new type of with more than five thousand full-time workers gral part of the design. propulsive gas turbine. Designed for VTOL — and expected to attain high subsonic speed in level flight, this aircraft would have been just what the Luftwaffe wanted. German airfields were under continual attack from Allied bombers and the idea of a high-speed combat aircraft which could operate from improvised sites was already promoting design efforts into rocket-powered point defence intercep- tors like the vertically launched Bachem Ba349A Natter (Adder), which entered ser- vice during the last few days of the war. Nothing is known about the testing and development of V3 and it is possible that this Bachem Ba 349A Natter (Adder). This manned rocketplane entered service during the last few days of the war and it clearly illustrates the type of thinking taking place within the RLM as the war turned against Germany and the Luftwaffe began to urgently consider high-performance VTOL designs. via Bill Rose Bachem Ba 349A Natter (Adder). This manned rocketplane entered service during the last few days of the war and it clearly illustrates the type of thinking taking place within the RLM as the war turned against Germany and the Luftwaffe began to urgently consider high-performance VTOL designs. via Bill Rose 40 LO SOKEMA BEL DISCO PROGETTATO IN iTALIA Secret Projects: Flying Saucer Aircraft