EWR VJ 101C-X1 by A & A Models

1/72 scale
Kit No.7203
Decals: Two versions – One Luftwaffe, one for 1964 Hanover Air Show, Germany
Comments: Engraved panel lines, rotating jet engines, optional position canopy, photo-etch details, paint masks, boarding ladder included

History

The EWR VJ 101 was an experimental German jet fighter VTOL aircraft with the ability to tilt its jet engines to a full vertical position. VJ stood for “Versuchsjäger,” (German for “Experimental Fighter”). It was to be the basis for a successor to the F-104 Starfighter, but was cancelled in 1968 after a five-year test program. The VJ 101 was one of the first V/STOL designs to have the potential for eventual Mach 2 flight.

EWR (Entwicklungsring Süd) was a consortium formed in 1959 by the German aircraft companies Bölkow, Heinkel and Messerschmitt specifically to develop a Mach 2 VTOL interceptor for the post-war Luftwaffe. In 1964 Heinkel left the consortium and the following year it was re-formed as Entwicklungsring Süd GmbH, but the acronym EWR remained.

The VJ 101 had its origins in November 1956, when West Germany’s Bundesministerium der Verteidigung (BMVg, or Ministry of Defense) sought to kickstart the aviation industry by issuing a request to develop an indigenous modern interceptor for the point-defense role. It had to be able to respond quickly to alerts and climb to high altitude in a very short time, with a range of at least 270 miles, service ceiling of 70,000 feet, and maximum speed of Mach 2. Its mission: Destroy the major perceived threat of the day — jet bombers from the Soviet Union or its Warsaw Pact allies, East Germany chief among them.

By February 1957, the BMVg made clear that it wanted a V/STOL (vertical/short takeoff and landing) design, something spectacular to call attention to West German aviation after a ten-year hiatus since the end of World War II. In the late 1950’s, VTOL was “in” — evidenced by the development in France of the SNECMA C-450 Coleoptere, the Short SC.1 in the United Kingdom, and the Ryan Vertijet in the United States. There was a practical military reason for the V/STOL requirement as well; military planners were concerned that the Luftwaffe’s bases would be priority targets for the Soviet bloc in the event of war. If they were destroyed in the first hours of a conflict, the surviving aircraft, to remain combat-worthy, would have to be able to operate from smaller, rough, hastily prepared airfields.

Two prototypes of the EWR VJ 101C single-seat experimental VTOL aircraft were built. Generally similar, they both had a high-wing monoplane configuration, primarily of light alloy construction, with retractable tricycle landing gear and accommodated the pilot in a pressurised cockpit, seated on a Martin-Baker ejection seat. Powerplant was comprised of six RB.145 turbojets, developed jointly by Rolls-Royce and MAN-Turbomotoren, with two mounted vertically in the fuselage, immediately aft of the cockpit, and two in a swiveling pod at each wingtip (Rolls Royce had built the engines for the British VTOL aircraft, the Short SC.1).

The fuselage-mounted engines were used only for VTOL and low-speed flight, those in the wingtip pods for VTOL, low speed, transition from vertical to horizontal flight, and high-speed flight. Control of the aircraft in flight had been explored by a hovering rig powered by three Rolls-Royce RB.108 lift-jets, and by May 1963 this had made a total of 70 flights.

The VJ 101C X-1 prototype was flown for the first time in free hovering flight on April 10, 1963. It exceeded a speed of Mach 1 several times before it crashed, following a vertical take-off, on September 14, 1964. The VJ 101C X-2 differed by having afterburning engines in the wingtip pods, providing greater power for take-off and landing, and this made its first hovering flight on June 12, 1965. Four months later, on October 22, the X-2 achieved the first full transitions from vertical to horizontal flight and vice versa, but development was discontinued soon after.

Production of a single-seat interceptor was planned, under the designation EWR VJ 101D, but this would have differed considerably from the research prototypes. VTOL lift would have been retained by a battery of Rolls-Royce/ MAN RB.162 lift-jets in the fuselage, but primary propulsion would have come from two Rolls-Royce/MAN RB.153 turbofans mounted in the rear fuselage, these relying upon thrust deflection for control purposes. However, none of these aircraft was built. The VJ 101C X-2 is today on display in the Deutsches Museum in Munich. Although the VJ 101C did not go into production, other projects including the Mirage IIIV, Hawker P.1154 (a supersonic parallel to what would become the Hawker Siddeley Harrier) and the much later F-35 Lightning II showed the promise of VTOL fighters.

The Kit

The EWR VJ101C X-1 is injection molded in grey and consists of 106 parts, including three clear parts for the optional position canopy. The kit includes photo-etch details providing straps for the pilot’s ejection seat, as well as paint masks for the canopy and landing gear wheels. The ejection seat itself is rather complex, consisting of 9 parts plus the photo etch details. The cockpit tub must be assembled, with a floor, rear bulkhead, and side instrument panels for which decals are provided. The main instrument panel also has a decal, although it features recessed detail for the various dials, so modelers may wish to rely mainly on painting to bring out the details.

The jet intake and exhaust assemblies for the wingtip engine pods feature a modicum of detail, consisting of seven and six parts respectively, with each pod enclosing two jet engines. When assembling these engines, modelers should remember that there should be a visible gap between the intake assembly and the rest of the engine pod or nacelle; four pins connect and separate them. The intake for the fuselage-mounted engines is aft of the cockpit, and is identified by an open door that on a more conventional aircraft might be an air brake, but for the fact that when open it is facing against the slipstream. The fuselage assembly includes dorsally mounted intake fans that will be visible on the finished kit, if the intake door is cemented in the open position.

Markings

The kit decals have a solid semi-gloss sheen and are fully in register. They do not exhibit any color bleed or yellowing, so they appear to be fully serviceable, and even include a few stencils. Markings are provided for two versions, the first of which is the VJ 101 X-1 in Luftwaffe markings as it appeared for the April 10, 1963 hovering test flight. The second version is also for the X-1 as it appeared at the time of the 1964 Air Show in Hanover, Germany, minus its Luftwaffe markings and bearing the serial D-9517 on its vertical tail, starboard upper wing and port lower wing. Both versions are in overall natural metal with orange jet intakes and an orange flash at the top of the vertical tail.

Conclusion

This is a fascinating VTOL design that demonstrated the practicality of developing a fleet of interceptors of this type. One can only imagine that the expense of the project, combined with the level of training required of the pilots who would fly it, led the West German government to cancel this impressive project. Highly recommended.

References

• The Aviation Historian, Issue No. 9; “We Wanted to Do Something Challenging: West Germany’s Cold War Ambition and the VJ 101,” published October 25, 2014; Horsham, United Kingdom.
• military.wikia.org
• aviastar.org

The afterburner-equipped VJ 101 X-2 on display at the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany.