DFS 230F

The DFS 230 V7 / DFS 230F was an assault glider designed and built in Germany during 1943 that was only built in prototype form.

Design and development
The RLM (Reichsluftfahrtministerium - German Air Ministry), issued a directive in 1941 that no effort was to be spent designing a replacement for the rather dated DFS 230 assault glider, in its weight class. Ing. Hünerjäger of Gothaer Waggonfabrik (Gotha) believed that a great improvement on the DFS 230 could be achieved with an aircraft of similar dimensions designing what was named the DFS 230 V7 despite the ban. Gotha named their new design's prototype DFS 230 V7, production aircraft were to be designated DFS 230F-1, to deflect criticism for ignoring the ban on DFS 230 replacement.

Completed in 1943 the DFS 230 V7 had a cargo hold measuring 4.5 m x 1.5 m x 1.5 m, a vast improvement on the DFS 230. Access to the hold was via large hatches in the fuselage sides and roof of the rear fuselage. For assault glider missions a crew of two would fly the aircraft with up to 11 Fallschirmjäger or up to 1,750 kg of cargo in overload conditions.

Despite successful flight trials no orders for production aircraft were forthcoming and only the prototype was built.

Variants
Data from:'
 * (Gotha) DFS 230 V7
 * The prototype of an assault glider in the same class as the DFS 230 (an altogether new design)


 * (Gotha) DFS 230F-1
 * The proposed production version