Junkers EF 126

The Junkers EF 126 was an experimental single-seat fighter proposed under the German Miniaturjager programme of 1944 to 1945, which asked for the simplest and cheapest fighter possible, powered by a pulsejet like the one used in the V-1 flying bomb. Heinkel and Blohm and Voss also submitted designs. The EF 126 had a layout similar to the V-1, with a single Argus 109-044 pulsejet rated at 4.9 kilonewtons mounted above the rear fuselage and fin, a metal fuselage, wooden wings and a retractable nosewheel undercarriage. Because pulsejet power falls with altitude it was intended for low-altitude use with a secondary ground-attack role, armed with two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon and up to 400 kg of bombs. No examples were built during the war, but the Soviet Union completed both unpowered and powered prototypes, and one was tested with a running engine in 1947. The design was developed into the rocket-powered Junkers EF 127.