Heinkel Wespe

The Heinkel Wespe, meaning Wasp, was a project study by Heinkel for a tail-sitting vertical take-off and landing interceptor. It had no conventional wings but a large rotor, and was to be powered by a turboprop in the centre of the airframe, an unusual layout with a circular wing and a small frontal area that would have made it a good platform for attacking bombers. It may have been intended for point defence. The design was completed in 1945 but stayed untested because of the lack of materials at the end of the Second World War, and the engine was never completed. The study had a wingspan of 6.3 metres, a maximum take-off weight of 2,200 kilograms, a 1,500 kilowatt He S 021 turboprop, a projected top speed of 800 kilometres per hour and two 30 millimetre cannon. A related project was the Heinkel Lerche.