Argus Fernfeuer

Fernfeuer
Type	Long-range surface-to-surface missile; aerial mine-layer
Place of origin	Germany
Production history
Designer	Fritz Gosslau
Designed	October 1939
Manufacturer	Argus Motoren GmbH
No. built	None
Specifications
Mass	3000 kg (6,614 lb) maximum
Length	9.5 m (31.17 ft) (est)
Height	1 m (3.28 ft) (est)
Crew	Unmanned
Maximum firing range	1000 km (621miles) (est)
Engine	Argus As 410 465 hp
Wingspan	10 m (32.81 ft) (est.)
Flight ceiling	5000m (16,405 ft)
Guidance system	Line of sight radio-control or radio beam following

The Argus Fernfeuer (Long-Range Fire) concept was proposed in 1939 as a UAV for mine-laying. Later roles were planned for bombing, the dropping of torpedoes and long-range reconnaissance. Development was halted in 1941 but the project, also known as Erfurt, evolved into the V1.

Development

Arising from the Argus As 292 project, the Argus Fernfeuer was also designed by Fritz Gosslau. During the testing of the small As 292 drone, Gosslau proposed an aircraft-sized UAV capable of delivering a one tonne drop charge over long distances. Control was either by line-of-sight radio control or by radio beam direction. A manned aircraft, flying clear of local defenses, would signal the UAV to release the drop-load. The Fernefeuer aircraft would then return to base.

Guidance expertise would have been from C. Lorenz; airframe advice and construction by Arado. A manned variant, intended as a command aircraft, was also included in the proposal.

Presented to Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) on November 9, 1939. Despite initial interest in the Fernfeuer concept, the RLM informed Gosslau and the Argus company that the project was to be shelved. Development abandoned by January 1941 in favor of the V-1 flying bomb.

References

1. Holsken, Dieter, V-missiles of the Third Reich the V-1 and V-2 (1994), pp. 46–49, 343. Primary source for much of the information are the personal documents of Fritz Gosslau.