Gotha P.60 - A Superior Horten 229? | Concept Planes

Now, it wouldn't be a series about weird concept aircraft if we didn't take a look at some of the interesting designs that came out of late WW2 Germany. And today, we're taking a look at the Goethe P60. This aircraft was designed to compete with another interesting late WW2 German design, which was the Horten 229. But that's an aircraft that at least made it to the prototyping phase, and as such, it will get a more in-depth video in the future. These aircraft were the result of German efforts to gain a technological edge in the air. Their industry could not keep up with the huge production numbers of the Allies, and so the only hope for the Luftwaffe was to produce aircraft of superior performance. And that meant looking at jets, flying wings, and all sorts of cutting-edge, innovative, and sometimes fantastical concepts. Now, the 229 had been designed by the Horten brothers, but they lacked the manufacturing capability to actually produce it in numbers, and so series production of the aircraft was assigned to Goethe. Hence why it is sometimes known as the HO-229 or the GO-229. But although Goethe were contracted to build the 229 as a production aircraft, they would have much preferred to build a design of their own. Especially as the Horten brothers' design was being plagued by teething problems, particularly around the engines. Given that these early jet engines were very prone to failure, and in general had short lifespans, maintenance of the 229 promised to be a nightmare as, every time an engine had to be swapped out, the central section of the aircraft had to be pretty much fully dismantled to get to it. These problems, among others, would soon lead to a dramatic reduction in the production order of the 229, being reduced from 100 aircraft to just 20. And Goethe's design team decided that the time was now right to submit a competing design of their own in the hope of winning the Air Ministry's favour. The result was the P-60 project, the work of Dr Rudolf Goethe, and the details of which were first presented to the Air Ministry on January 8th, 1945. Not only did the design meet all of the same requirements that the Horten was being built to, but it could also be built using alternate materials, and it utilised the latest research from various wind tunnel tests. Now, this last point apparently caused some degree of grumbling from the Horten brothers, as Dr Goethe was a member of the Special Committee for Wind Tunnels, and because of that, he was able to get instant access to the latest wind tunnel data, whereas outsiders had to wait. Like the 229, the P-60 would utilise mixed construction, and it was built up in two main sections. The central section, which housed the cockpit, armament, engines, and other major systems, was built from a tubular steel framework which was covered in plywood, and the wings were built using an all-wood lattice framework. The elevators and ailerons were combined into a single control service, known as an elevon, and rudder control, which always posed a challenge for flying wings, was provided by telescopic control services that were extended above and below the wing tips. The P-60 would also utilise a similar armament as the 229. Various configurations were proposed for various roles, with the P-60 being proposed at various points as an interceptor, a strike fighter, or a night fighter, but they all made use of the MK-103 or MK-108 30mm cannon. There was also supposedly a provision for a 500kg bomb under the fuselage. Now in other ways, the P-60 was considerably different from the 229. For one thing, it would have a crew of two, a pilot, and a radio operator who could also serve as a pilot if required. They were to be housed in a very sleek, pressurised cockpit that was fed fully into the leading edge of the wing. Because of this highly aerodynamic design, the crew would have to lie prone. This approach was taken because it was felt that a prone pilot could withstand high-G manoeuvres better than a sitting pilot, and the fact that this slimmed down the cockpit's frontal profile was merely an added bonus. Comfort was provided by air-filled cushions, the pilots rested their chins on raised support pads to reduce neck strain, and they were protected by armour panelling in their seats and 10cm of bulletproof glass. Escape from a crippled or burning aircraft was quite simple. A panel below the pilot's seats could be jettisoned, and they would simply drop away. But although simple, it was not necessarily easy or safe, and that was because of another difference found in the P-60, which was its engine layout. For ease of maintenance, the P-60's engines were mounted externally along the centreline, one above and one below. The proposed power plant was the BMW 003A1 turbojet, which produced approximately 7.8 kilonewtons, or 1750 pounds of thrust. If necessary though, these engines could also easily be changed to other power plants being developed by either Heinkel or Junkers. This was of course a much more favourable layout when compared to the 229, at least from a logistical standpoint, but it did make the prospect of bailing out at speed rather alarming, as the pilots risked being sucked by the slipstream and colliding with the lower engine nacelle. This concern, among other things which included a total lack of rear visibility for the pilots, would lead to the rejection of the initial P-60 proposal, but others were now on the table. There were two other designs, which were known as the P-60B and the P-60C. The P-60B was a slightly larger and simplified version of the original P-60, now known as the P-60A. It was to be powered by a pair of Heinkel HES-11 turbojets, which were rated at 12.7 kilonewtons, or approximately 2860 pounds of thrust. How far either of these options were explored is hard to tell, as this project was rejected at the same time as the original P-60A, but some of the design changes were further incorporated into the P-60C. This was a proposed Night Fighter version that was drawn up in response to yet another specification that was issued in February of 1945. Unlike the prone cockpit P-60, the pilots now sat upright in a tandem cockpit beneath a teardrop-shaped canopy, and there were two proposed solutions to the challenges of bailing out. The aircraft could utilise an ejection system, like that being designed for the 229, or both the engines could be placed below the wing. This design slightly deviated from what could be considered a true flying wing, owing to operational requirements. The installation of an airborne radar in the nose required the redesign and extension of the front section, and as this was expected to negatively affect stability and the centre of gravity, vertical fins were added to the trailing edges of the outer wings to correct this. The P-60C was projected to have a wingspan of 13.5 metres, or 44 feet, a loaded weight of just under 10 tonnes, or 22,000 pounds, and it was expected to have a very high top speed of 980 kilometres an hour at 6,000 metres, or 608 miles an hour at 20,000 feet. Unlike the previous submissions, this design was actually viewed far more favourably, owing to its capability as a night-time bomber hunter, and there were even proposals for an unarmed fast reconnaissance variant. But the war in Europe would be over before either of these designs left the drawing board. And yet, despite being a paper plane, you can actually find an example of the P-60 today, sort of. There is an excellent replica on display at the Reschelin Aviation Museum in Germany, and when you compare it to some of the more conventional aircraft on display there, it really does show how fascinating some of those late-war concepts were. As always, thank you all so much for watching, and a big thank you, of course, to the Patreon supporters. Now, over the next couple of days, I'm hopefully putting up some new polls on Patreon as per the changed details of what's happening over there. Basically, everyone has far more voting rights, so if there's any Patreon supporters listening that hasn't seen that update, I recommend you go read that now. And for regular channel viewers, there will be some more information on that coming up in the next Rex Rambles video, so stay tuned for that. A big thank you, of course, to our Wing Commander tier patrons, our highest tier members, and work is now underway on the next set of special videos, the one you guys voted on. And there's also a couple of other special videos that I'm hoping to have finished, hopefully by the end of December. One is sort of up in the air depending on when some information gets through to me from a friend who's sending me some details, so that one I can't give an exact date. But anyway, there are some interesting, long videos coming out in the semi-near future. But as always, thank you all so much for your continued support, and I will catch you all next time. Goodbye!