Model/photo by John Clarke

BLOHM und VOSS P.163

Two projects: BV.P.163 and BV.P.166 can't be called 100% asymmetric, because their asymmetricity concerns only their different nacelles at the tips of the wing. Anyway both are included, because their main airframe components are really asymmetric.

Powered with either DB 613 (BV.P.163.01) or BMW 803 (BV.P.163.02) this project was intended for a fast fighter/bomber role. Heavy armament and considerable bomb load might have turned this project into a formidable strike machine. The crew of four occupied two nacelles: pilot and navigator/bombardier in the left and two gunners in the right one.
The following information was kindly supplied by Mr. LARS KAMBECK:
Interview with Richard Vogt. Hermann Pohlmann: "Chronik eines Flugzeugwerkes" p.172
 BV.P.163
"The rearrangement of using steel instead of light metal becomes the focus of attention of our war-restricted aircraft production. This is only possible - and even only in limited ways - with extended research in buildingmaterial and construction. But there is also another way: To look for ways of construction and shape arrangements which have advantages that high regarding weight so that you can afford to use steel as building material. But you can not achieve this with only some minor modifications, instead you have to take heart to perform an intervention in the whole weight-distribution. The total weight is considerably determined by the wing and the part of the fuselage close to the wing. In case of a conventional aircraft the major loads are assembled in the fuselage and the mid-part of the wing. Balancing this with the forces and lift of the outer part of the wing results in high bending-momentums (Germ: "Biegemomente" - see graph) of the wing and because of that also in a high dead-weight of the wing. You can lighten this load-distribution radically by shifting a big part of the loads out to the wingtips. We made it in an absolute unusual way when we splitted up control and defence of the plane in different gondolas and attached these nacelles to the wingtips. Both gondolas with a weight of about one ton each reduced the bending-momentums at the wings's root by ca. 44% (see graph). Also in aerodynamic ways this design is not unfavourable: the position of the gondolas at the wingtips reduce the wake turbulences on the outer part of the wing and has positive influence regarding the lift. (...) The remaining fuselage behind the engine can be used in the easiest way as a well protected steel fueltank. There remains the question if pilots can accept and handle this unusual plane from a wingtip nacelle. That it is possible has been proved by us before when we equipped a BV141 with an additional wingtip-cockpit and handled (!) the plane from there."

Type: Schnellbomber / Fernzerstoerer

Engine:
DB 613 1x3,900hp (BV.P.163.01)
or
BMW 803 1x4,000hp (BV.P.163.02)

Dimensions:
Wing span:
20.50m (both versions)

Length:
15.60m (BV.P.163.01)
15.00m (BV.P.163.02)

Weight:
Loaded:
14,970kg (BV.P.163.01)
15,150kg (BV.P.163.02)

Performance:
Maximum Speed:
543kph (BV.P.163.01)
570kph (BV.P.163.02)

Range:
2,415km (BV.P.163.01)
2,255km (BV.P.163.02)


Service Ceiling:
9,000m (BV.P.163.01)
10,000m (BV.P.163.02)

Armament:
Six 13mm MG151 (both versions)
500kg bombs (both versions)

IMAGES
3-view drawing
RS kit box art
Color artworks by Justo Miranda

This is the "OPEN-DOOR" Website, you are WELCOME to add any information on the subject!
To share information or inquire me anytime!

PREV.: BV.P.111 NEXT: BV.P.165
I Main Page I Blohm-Voss I Other German I Misc. Types I What-Ifs I Links, Credits I Unicraft Models I