Panzerblitz is a German anti-tank unguided aerial rocket developed during the Second World War.

Panzerblitz
A Panzerblitz III on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
TypeRocket
Place of originGermany
Service history
In service1945
Used byLuftwaffe
WarsWorld War II
Specifications
Diameter80 mm in Panzerblitz I

88 mm in Panzerblitz II

210 mm in Panzerblitz III

Muzzle velocity525 m/s (1,175 mph)
Effective firing range600-1,000 m
Maximum firing range1,500 m
Filling weightUnknown

The missile was based on the R4M Orkan air-to-air rocket used by the Messerschmitt Me 262. It was fitted with either an 80 mm (3.1 in)-diameter standard[clarification needed] warhead, in Panzerblitz I, or a 210 mm (8.3 in)-diameter hollow charge warhead, in the Panzerblitz III.

Fw 190 A8 Unterseite Panzerblitz

It was intended to be operated by the Henschel Hs 132, which would carry up to eight rockets, complementing or even replacing the cannon armament in the tank-destroying role. The 80mm model was tested extensively in early 1945 from Focke-Wulf Fw 190s, but neither Panzerblitz I nor Panzerblitz III (earmarked exclusively for the Hs 132) were ready for use by the German surrender in May 1945.

A Panzerblitz rocket pod was in development. It would have been for the Ar-234 C and each pod would have contained 20 Panzerblitz rockets. [1]

Specifications

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General characteristics

Components

  • Compressor:

Performance

  • Maximum power output:

References

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  1. ^ Strahlflugzeug Arado Ar 234 ’Blitz’ by Manfred Griehl p.217

Sources

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  • Green, William. Warplanes of the Third Reich. London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 1970 (fourth impression 1979). ISBN 0-356-02382-6.
  • Smith, J.Richard and Kay, Anthony. German Aircraft of the Second World War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1972 (third impression 1978). ISBN 0-370-00024-2.
  • Wood, Tony and Gunston, Bill. Hitler's Luftwaffe: A pictorial history and technical encyclopedia of Hitler's air power in World War II. London: Salamander Books Ltd., 1977. ISBN 0-86101-005-1.