Kalkert Ka 430

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Ka 430
Gotha Ka 430 sketch.jpg
Drawing of the projected armed version
Type: Cargo glider
Design country:

German Reich NSGerman Reich (Nazi era) German Empire

Manufacturer:

Gotha wagon construction factory

First flight:

March 27, 1944

Number of pieces:

12 (5 + 7)

The Kalkert Ka 430 was a glider from the Gothaer Waggonfabrik .

history

The Ka 430 was built towards the end of the Second World War . It was supposed to replace the cargo glider Gotha Go 242 , which is in use in large numbers . The Ka 430 should better meet the requirements of a war mission and thus also be suitable for higher towing speeds.

However, only five test models and seven series aircraft were built, which were no longer used. According to another source by the same author, two dummies and nine prototypes were built, the last two of which - V6 and V7 - were not finished. The aircraft was designed by Albert Kalkert , who had already designed the Go 242 and its motorized version Go 244. The detailed construction was carried out by Ing. Leiber and his colleagues Köhler and Rettig. The first machine was built in Erfurt in the repair shop of the Central German Metal Works . The model Ka 430V1 had the master identification DV + MA and was completed in February 1944. The testing began on March 27, 1944 in the tow of a Heinkel He 111  H-6 with the association registration number F7 + DK (F7 was the registration number of towing groups 1 and 2.) The pilot of the towing machine was NCO Göers. The tests lasted until January 31, 1945. With the He 111H-6 tow plane (trunk identification DJ + SI), tests were carried out in rigid tow, all other tests were carried out in long tow. After the destruction of the DJ + SI by a bomb attack, further testing was carried out with a Junkers Ju 88 as a tow plane.

construction

The pattern was based on the Go 242, of which the Go 242B with an undivided tail unit carrier was created as a test vehicle for the successor model Ka 430. The Ka 430 was a glider in a composite construction made of tubular steel and wood with a normal tail unit. The aircraft was a cantilevered shoulder wing with a two-part single-spar wooden wing with a torsionally rigid plywood nose and fabric covering. The ailerons had trim tabs. The wing was equipped with flaps between the ailerons and the fuselage and perturbation plates on the upper side of the wing. The hull was a fabric-clad tubular steel construction, the self-supporting tail unit consisted of plywood-clad fins and fabric-covered oars with trim on all oars.

For landings on paved runways, the glider had a detachable nose wheel landing gear . In this way, it was possible to move the aircraft on its wheeled undercarriage in paved areas. This had the great advantage that landed sailors did not clog the runway, could be quickly brought into cover and could also be towed on practically immediately. The landing gear was blasted off on unpaved landing sites and, as with the Go 242, landing took place on a landing skid at the bow and two auxiliary landing skids under the two lower fuselage straps at the height of the main landing gear wheels. The braking distance could also be shortened by a braking parachute and / or braking rockets. The raised rear part of the fuselage contained a two-part loading flap, the lower part of which was designed as a lowerable ramp.

The Ka 430 could be dismantled so that it could be transported by rail, but also by road, in compliance with the clearance profile of the Deutsche Reichsbahn .

Technical specifications

Parameter Data
crew 2
length 13.22 m
span 19.50 m
height 4.17 m
Wing area 39.9 m²
Wing extension 9.5
Loading space dimensions 3.65 m × 1.45 m × 1.3 m
Empty mass 1810 kg
Takeoff mass 4600 kg
payload 12 fully equipped soldiers or equivalent cargo
Max. Towing speed 300 km / h
Armament an MG 131 in the turret directly behind the cockpit

literature

Web links

Commons : Gotha Ka 430  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Overview of association symbols