Little known / experimental aircraft

[Randy Daytona]

One of the first drones were the BQ-7’s and BQ-8’s. Known as Project Aphrodite, worn out B-17’s and B-24’s were stripped of gear and packed with 20,000 lbs of Torpex and crashed into high value targets (sub pens, etc) Although the planes could be guided remotely, they had to have pilots aboard for the takeoff who would then arm the system and bailout. It was one of these that prematurely exploded in August 1944, killing Lt Joseph P Kennedy Jr USNR (President Kennedy’s older brother) who volunteered as the first Navy pilot in this Army Air Corps mission despite already having completed enough missions to return stateside. (BQ-8’s were the B-24 version)

This top secret World War II drone mission killed JFK's older brother

One of the pilots killed in the virtually unknown Operation Aphrodite was the older brother of future-President John F. Kennedy.

www.wearethemighty.com

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[Randy Daytona]

The first WW2 aircraft designed to top 50,000 feet: the Luftwaffe’s BV-155. Several prototypes were made, one is now at the Smithsonian.

The Bizarre German Aircraft with an Identity Crisis: The BV 155

First conceived by Messerschmitt as a carrier-borne fighter, the Me 155 morphed into a high-speed attack plane and later a high-altitude interceptor known

theaviationist.com

Blohm & Voss BV 155 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Blohm & Voss BV 155 V2 prototype


Seen here, the Blohm & Voss BV 155B V2 had an impressive wingspan for a single-seat fighter/interceptor, and its contemporary, the Focke-Wulf Ta 152 utilized a wide wingspan as well.

The single BV-155B V2 built. An unusual design, of note is the large radiator intakes slung below the wings, the extended wingspan for high-altitude performance, and the rearward sliding canopy along with the unusual exhaust routing down the sides of the fuselage in external ducts.


The only known picture of a BV 155B in flight, the V2 with the large radiator intakes clearly visible on the underside of the wing. Image credit: Source unknown, possibly German Luftwaffe or Blohm & Voss)