In Service:
First Flight:
Manufacturer: Peenemünde
Number built:
Type: Surface-to-Surface Missile
Guidance system: Gyroscope
Length: 6.85 m
Wingspan: m
Diameter: 0.67 m
Weight: 900 kg
Engine: 1 × liquid fuel rocket engine producing
up to 1,500 kg of thrust
Maximum speed: km/h
Range: km
Warhead:
Fuze:
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 5 (A-5) which was a ballistic missile, That
was the forerunner for the
Aggregate
4 (A-4) which was designed and developed by Dr.-Ing.
Wernher
von Braun in 1938 under the leadership of Dr.
Walter
Robert Dornberger, at
Greifswalder
Oie,
Peenemünde.
The Aggregate 5 (A-5) ballistic missile was 6.85 m long by
0.67 m in diameter and had a takeoff weight 900 kg. The A-5
also incorporated the new Siemens control equipment to control
the missile during flight, the missile also had a parachute
installed to facilitate recovery. The rocket engine used in
the
Aggregate 1 (A-1),
Aggregate
2 (A-2) and
Aggregate 3 (A-3)
was also used in the Aggregate 5 (A-5) with some minor modifications,
which was a pressure fed system using 25% liquid oxygen and
75% ethanol, to give a maximum thrust of 1,500 kg for 45 seconds
of burn time, which was designed by
Arthur
Rudolph. There was also another variant of engine used
to power the Aggregate (A-5) which used monopropellants that
was mainly used for air testing with the
He
111.
The control of the Aggregate 5 (A-5) was achieved by the gyroscopes,
that basically act as an autopilot, and if necessary sending
signals to the servos that were attached to the exhaust vanes,
that would allow the missile to be returned the desired trajectory,
the same applied if the missile was affected by gusts of wind.
The autopilot would engage and change the trajectory.
After extensive wind tunnel tests conducted by Dr.
Rudolph
Hermann the missile was aerodynamically refined. And several
flight tests were carried out using the
He
111 as a carrier aircraft for the Aggregate 5 (A-5) in
which the missile managed to exceed the speed of sound.
In 1938 Dr.-Ing.
Wernher
von Braun was ready to begin test launching of the Aggregate
5 (A-5) all the tests carried out attained astounding results
for new Siemens control equipment functioned perfectly. Even
the parachute opened when they should, and so all the groundwork
had been done for the
Aggregate 4
(A-4).
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
