In
Service: 27 December 1944 to 1945
First Flight: 27 December 1944
Manufacturer: Mittelwerk
GmbH,
Peenemünde Number
built: 6,000 all variants
Type: Surface-to-Surface Missile
Guidance system:
Gyroscope
Length: 14 m
Wingspan: 4.75 m
Diameter:
1.65 m
Weight: 12,900 kg
Engine: 1 × liquid fuel
rocket engine producing up to to 25,000 kg of thrust
Maximum speed:
5,580 km/h
Range: 320 km
Warhead: 980 kg Amatol
Fuze:
impact
Launch Platform: Mobile
Operators: Heer
Variants:
A-1 A-2
A-3 A-4 A-4
SLBM A-4b / A-9 A-5 A-6
A-7
A-8
A-9 / A-10 Other:
Missiles Articles: The Aggregate 4b (A-4b) Aggregate 9 (A-9) was a continuation of the
Aggregate 4 (A-4) ballistic missile designed and
developed by Dr.-Ing. Wernher
von Braun in 1944 under the leadership of Dr. Walter
Robert Dornberger, at Army Research Center
Peenemünde.
The Aggregate 4b (A-4b) was in fact, a standard Aggregate
4 (A-4) missile with swept back wings attached to the side of the missile
the main aim of this was to increase the range by degreasing the missiles dissent
these design features were intended for a projected
Aggregate
9 (A-9)
The Aggregate 4b (A-4b) ballistic missile was 14 m long by
1.65 m in diameter with a wingspan of 4.75 m and had a take off weight 12,500
kg. The rocket engine used in the Aggregate 4b (A-4b) was also used in the
Aggregate
4 (A-4) which was a liquid fuel rocket engine producing up to to 25,000 kg
of thrust using a pressure fed system that used 25% liquid oxygen and 75% ethanol,
which was designed by Walter
Thiel. However, Walter
Thiel was killed by a heavy bombing raid on
Peenemünde
called operation Hydra. Dipl.-Ing. Martin
Schilling replaced Walter
Thiel.
Testing of the Aggregate 4b (A-4b) was carried out at
Army Research Center Peenemünde
on 27 December 1944 but this launch ended in failure as the missiles guidance
system failed to initialise and the missile crashed. Another attempt was made
on the 24 January 1945 but unfortunately, this attempt was also a failure due
to the fact that the wings could not withstand the strain of re-entry and sheared
off.
The Warplanes
of the Third Reich.
ISBN-10: 0385057822
German Aircraft of the Second
World War.
ISBN-10: 0370000242
Hitler's Luftwaffe.
ISBN-10: 051718771X
For a complete list of
sources