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(Ruhrstahl/Kramer) X-4 (RK 344) Air-to-Air Missile.
Japan’s military and technological contacts with Germany were numerous, so we may suppose that some of these rockets somehow appeared in the army of the “Country of the Rising Sun”.
The development of this missile started in June 1943 in Brackwede, at the “Ruhrstahl” factory, under the supervision of Dr. M. Kramer.
The missile was equipped with a liquid-fuel jet engine ÆÐÄ BMW-109-548, which could create propulsion of 1400-1500 kN over 22 seconds, and could accelerate the 60 kg missile to 1152 km/h. Effective distance was 2 km, which practically left the target no chance to shoot the interceptor. The missile was designed for attacking the target’s rear hemisphere while closing in, which could provide additional speed for the missile.
The missile was controlled via wires placed in two reels in the wing ends. Such a way of control decreased the missile’s maneuverability, but made the command link absolutely noise-free. Wires were 5.5 km long. The control shaft in the cockpit was called “knuppel”, and resembled modern joysticks. Tracer agents and even an electric bulb in the rear helped to control the flight.
The missile was carrying 20 kg fragmentation warhead with the guaranteed damage radius of 8 meters. The warhead’s detonation was accomplished with the help of an original acoustic detonator, which reacted at the target’s engine noise.
The missile had passed its tests from August 1944 to February 1945. It was very technological and made of non-critical materials. About 1300 such missiles were made. X-4 could have become a fearsome weapon against the four-engine bomber armadas, especially given the successful development of the passive acoustic auto-guidance system “Pudel”, which had been in development since March 1945. It is possible that this missile was used in some episodes in the end of the war, though officially they were not in the air force.
X-4 Air-to-Air Missile in the "Pacific Storm"
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