Messerschmitt Me 163B V13: Abandoned in Pölzen

Source: U.S. Army Signal Corps

     Found by troops of Combat Command A, 9th. Armored Division, 1st. U.S. Army in April 1945 was the remains of Messerschmitt Me 163B V13, Werk Nummer (W.Nr.) 10022, fuselage code VD+EV. The location was a airfield hangar in Pölzen, Germany located to the northeast of Leipzig. While the men of Combat Command A likely did not know it at the time they came across the ruins of the aircraft, the V13 had been the start of the further development of the Me 163 rocket fighter that ultimately culminated in the Messerschmitt Me 263 (also designated as the Junkers Ju 248).

     One of the most serious problems with the Me 163B rocket interceptor was the ravenous consumption the Walther HWK 509 A-2 bi-fuel rocket motor had for the reactant propellants, T-Stoff and C-Stoff. Once the Me 163B achieved operating altitude, the aircraft had only 2.5 minutes worth of powered flight left before the tanks ran dry. Typically, given the volatile and explosive nature of the fuels, pilots would often exhaust the entire fuel supply rather than risk having fuel onboard while in combat, let alone coming to a landing which risked causing a detonation if the touchdown was rough. In combat operations, it meant that the range of the Me 163B was severely restricted and unless airfields operating the rocket fighter were near known bomber routes, the Me 163B was more or less impotent. In fact, when U.S. Intelligence determined an airfield was housing a Me 163 unit, they advised U.S. Army Air Force bomber units to simply plot bombing strike avenues to avoid the airfield. Another problem with the Me 163B was that is had no landing gear outside of a central skid. It took off atop a two-wheeled dolly which was then jettisoned once the plane was airborne. Upon landing, it had to be recovered by a special trailer pulled by a three-wheeled tractor called a Scheuschlepper. The V13 was the first step in overcoming the first of these two main concerns with the fighter.

     The V13 was the first to trial a new Walther rocket engine, the HWK 509 C. While the fuels were the same, the biggest difference was the addition of a cruise chamber. The HWK 509 C's main chamber produced 3,750 pounds of thrust but the cruise chamber only provided 660 pounds of thrust. The idea was that for take-off, both chambers would be engaged for a total of 4,410 pounds of thrust. Once the aircraft was at operational altitude, the main chamber would be shut off and the aircraft would fly only on the cruise chamber. As such, the new engine provided up to 6.5 minutes of powered flight before the fuel ran out. The V13 was much the same as the standard Me 163B except that the tail was modified to accommodate the cruise chamber which was to be used in the new development of the aircraft which was then called the Me 163D. The first flight of the V13 took place in December 1943 and the last known flight occurred on May 14, 1944. Two other Me 163B aircraft were part of the Me 163D project and these were the V10 (W.Nr. 10019, fuselage code VD+ES) and the V18 (W.Nr. 10027, fuselage code VA+SP). The V10, having originally been used to test a BMW rocket motor and a revised fuel tank system, was repurposed to trial the tricycle landing gear that was to be used on the Me 163D. The V18 was also refitted with a HWK 509 C engine and on July 6, 1944, pilot Rudolf Opitz took the aircraft up for a calibration flight and the engine was at maximum thrust and as it accelerated, the critical Mach number was exceeded. Opitz cut fuel to the engine which put the V18 into a steep dive Optiz was only able to recover feet from the waters of the Baltic Sea. After landing, the entire rudder was missing and readings taken during the flight showed the V18 had attained a speed of 702mph.

     The results of testing with the V10, V13, and V18 culminated in the Ju 248 which was a nearly complete redesign of the Me 163 fighter. The designation Junkers Ju 248 came into play as work on the project was shifted to Junkers in the spring of 1944 in light of the Messerschmitt company's other development work and production obligations. The name would revert to Me 263 by August of 1944. The new aircraft utilized a new fuselage that incorporated a bubble canopy, retractable landing gear, and a HWK 509 C-4 bi-fuel engine which it was estimated would give the Ju 248 a maximum powered endurance of between 9 to 15 minutes altitude depending. While better than the maximum 7.5 minutes of total powered endurance with the Me 163B, it was not a significant increase overall though the ability to be more mobile on the ground lowered the time it took to for ground crews to turn the aircraft around for another sortie. 

     As it was, the Ju 248 V1 was completed and performed well in unpowered, towed testing but it was never flown under power and ended up captured by the Soviets who shipped it back to Russia for study. The Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270 rocket interceptor, first flown in 1946, drew heavily from the Me 263 but the entire concept of a rocket powered, point interceptor was flawed and the I-270 was abandoned.

Russo-Ukrainian War: The BM-27 Uragan 220mm MLRS (BAZ-69092 Chassis)

Source: Reddit

     A mainstay within Russian heavy rocket artillery units is the BM-27 Uragan (“Hurricane”) 220mm MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System). Entering service with the Soviet Army in 1975, the Uragan is still in limited production in more modern forms but the vast majority of the BM-27 MLRS in Russian Federation service still utilize the original ZIL-135 8x8 chassis. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies in 2024, the Russian Army has 218 BM-27 MLRS in service and the ability to call on another 550 of them which remain in storage (assuming they are in a condition enough to warrant returning to service). Nevertheless, the sanctions being applied to Russia since 2022 have had some impact on the ability of Russia to both produce new military hardware and also maintain older vehicles. The ZIL-135 falls into the latter category as production ceased for it in 1994, requiring Russia to source outside of itself. To that end, the photograph of the burned out remains of a Russian Federation BM-27 illustrate Russia's answer to ensuring BM-27 production: using the BAZ-69092 6x6 chassis rather than the ZIL-135. 

     The 13-ton BAZ-69092 isn't new, having appeared in service around 2017, though its history goes back to the 1990s. The key factor is that Bryansk Automobile Plant (BAZ) is able to build the chassis entirely of Russian produced components. Performance mounting the 9P140 220mm rocket launcher complex on the BAZ-69092 (to create the BM-27) isn't known so any performance values are based solely on the BAZ-69092 without any mounted apparatus.

     Power comes from a YaMZ-8491.10-032 turbocharged diesel engine that develops 450 horsepower and this is tied into a YaMZ-2393-10 gearbox. Usage of a mechanical transmission permits all-wheel drive while there is a 2-stage transfer case and locking cross-axle differentials. Top road speed is 50 miles per hour with enough fuel for a maximum operational range (empty of payload) of 621 miles.

     Mounted in front of the engine is the crew cab and normally, this is unarmored. However, the BAZ-69092 can be fitted with an armored cab which does offer some defense against select small arms calibers and shell fragments. Additional crew protection comes in the form of NBC (Nuclear Biological Chemical) systems such as the FVUA-100a-24 filtration system and anti-radiation screens. In the photograph, anti-drone screens have been added to the cab and 16-tube launcher...not that they were effective. The two cylindrical objects just behind the rocket launcher are the engine exhausts. In front of the exhausts is where a spare tire would be kept.

     The capability of the 220mm rockets utilized by the BM-27 offer a range comparable to heavy artillery, if not exceeding guns such as the 2A65 152mm Msta-B. Only the powerful 2A44 203mm gun used on the 2S7 Pion SPG (Self-Propelled Gun) can out-range the BM-27. The launcher is aimed using a PG-1 panoramic telescopic sight and with a full six man crew, the BM-27 can be prepared for firing or broken down for  movement in three minutes. The rockets can be fired one at a time or in salvo with all sixteen rockets capable of being fired in 20 seconds. Assuming the BM-27 is accompanied with a transloader vehicle (which has a crane), reloading the BM-27 fully can take approximately 20 minutes

     The most utilized rocket is the 220mm 9M27F HE-FRAG (High-Explosive Fragmentation) rocket that packs 220 pounds of explosive within a fragmentation casing warhead. Weighing 620 pounds with a length of 15.8 feet, the 9M27F has a maximum range of 21 miles. Another type of rocket is the 9M27K series. These are rockets which disperse submunitions across a target area. The rockets are the 9M27K1 which dispenses thirty 9N210 anti-material bomblets, the 9M27K2 which drops twenty-four PGMDM or PTM-1 anti-tank mines, while the third is the 9M27K3 which disperses three hundred and twelve PFM-1 anti-personnel mines. All three types have a maximum 21 mile range. Two other rocket types include the 9M27S incendiary rocket and the 9M59 rocket which can dispense nine PTM-3 shaped charge anti-tank mines. Like the other rockets, their maximum range is no more than 21 miles.

Russo-Ukrainian War: The Lofting Attack Technique

Source: Reddit

     A tactic being used by both Ukrainian and Russian pilots when firing unguided rockets is called “lofting” and that technique is being illustrated here by a Ukrainian Mil Mi-8 (NATO reporting name Hip) helicopter firing S-13 122mm rockets from its B-13L launchers.

     To execute a lofting attack, the helicopter (or ground attack jet) flys low to the ground to make it a difficult target for anti-aircraft gun fire and/or MANPADS (Man Portable Air Defense System). When the pilot gets near the release point, he pulls up sharply while ripple firing the rockets. Once the rockets  are on their way to the target, the pilot turns sharply away while deploying flares (and/or other countermeasures) and returns to low level flight to egress the area.

     Lofting has two main benefits. The first is that it extends the range of the rockets. The most common unguided rockets used by both the Ukrainians and Russians is the 80mm S-8 rocket and to a lesser degree, the 122mm S-13 rocket. The maximum range for the S-13 (which depends on the type) is between 1.4 miles up to 3.7 miles. Lofting can greatly increase this range (sometimes doubling the range) which brings about the second benefit, keeping the helicopter or jet further away from enemy air defense.

     The S-8 and S-13 are direct fire rockets, meaning the helicopter or jet has to fly at a higher altitude and in a relatively straight line in order to unleash the rockets against the target and achieve hits. Of course, this leaves the helicopter or jet vulnerable to anti-air defenses during the attack run. If firing direct within the rocket's maximum range, the rockets maintain a tighter grouping when they hit the target area. Lofting, however, gives the rockets more time to spread out due to their longer flight time. This reduces the number of rockets that strike the intended target. In addition to the fewer number of rockets impacting on target, unless the loft is executed perfectly, the rockets may overshoot or undershoot the target. This is not so much of an issue if the intent is to simply bombard an area without any specific target in mind.

     Despite the lack of accuracy, it is pretty clear that lofting will continue to be a common practice by both sides in order to preserve air assets which are not easily replaced (especially on the Ukrainian side) but more importantly, the crews themselves.

Russo-Ukrainian War: The VMZ Bullspike-AT RPG

Photograph via the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

     A soldier of the 67th. Mechanized Brigade on the training range with a Bullspike-AT anti-tank rocket launcher. Designed and built by the Bulgarian company Vazovski Mashinostroitelni Zavodi (VMZ), the country of Bulgaria provided a unknown number of Bullspike-AT weapons in the summer of 2022.

     The Bullspike is a modernization of the Soviet RPG-22 Netto (which entered service in 1985) with VMZ making some slight improvements. The Bullspike launches the 72.5mm PG-22 rocket propelled anti-tank grenade but whereas the original RPG-22 grenade has a maximum range of 250 meters, the Bullspike can attain 500 meters. Still, the effective range is much the same as the RPG-22, being between 150 to 200 meters. Penetration is also the same as the RPG-22 with a maximum armor penetration of 400mm. Another VMZ upgrade is the pop-up sight which is graduated out to 350 meters. By comparison, the RPG-22 is graduated only to 250 meters. The Bullspike is heavier than the RPG-22, being 7.7 pounds while the RPG-22 is 6.2 pounds. Finally, the deployment time for the Bullspike is between 8 to 10 seconds which is about the same time for the RPG-22.

     As a side note, there are two additional variants of the Bullspike. The first is the Bullspike-TB which fires the TB-22M thermobaric grenade and the second is the Bullspike-AP which uses the OG-22M fragmentation grenade. In all cases, the launch tube is the same but what type of grenade is within is designated by a stencil on the rear of the tube. For the Bullspike-AT, it is a black stencil of “AT”, for the Bullspike-TB, it is a red stencil of “TB”, and for the Bullspike-AP, it is a white stencil of “AP”.

     Of interest, the soldier is wearing a current issue Bundeswehr “Flecktarn” camouflage jacket. Germany, as part of its military aid to Ukraine, has provided thousands of German Flecktarn uniforms, jackets, and cold weather uniforms. As such, it is not too unusual to find Bundeswehr uniform items being worn by Ukrainian troops.