Groettrup G-3

German aerodynamicist Albring designed the G-3 missile for the Russians in October 1949. This would use a rocket-powered Groettrup-designed G-1 as the first stage. The cruise stage would have an aerodynamic layout like that of the Saenger-Bredt rocket-powered antipodal bomber of World War II. Cruising at 13 km altitude, the supersonic missile would carry a 3000 kg warhead to a range of 2900 km. This was an alternate approach to Ustinov's 3000 kg over 3000 km range missile requirement of April 1949. This design would be elaborated at Korolev's bureau into the EKR ramjet design of 1953. Alternate designations for the G-3 have been reported as R-8 in the original secret Soviet designation scheme, and R-13 in the overt scheme. Designations of G-5 and R-15 are also reported, although this may refer to another design entirely.

Manufacturer: Groettrup. to a: 3000 km trajectory. Liftoff Thrust: 324.000 kN (72,838 lbf). Total Mass: 25,000 kg (55,000 lb). Core Diameter: 1.65 m (5.41 ft). Total Length: 25.00 m (82.00 ft). Standard warhead mass: 3,000 kg (6,600 lb). Maximum range: 2,900 km (1,800 mi).

1946 October 23 - Launch Vehicle: G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-5.

• Groettrup team transported to Soviet Union. Nation: USSR. In overnight roundup, 20,000 Germans transported to USSR to transfer technology on aerospace and other technical fields. References: 86.

• Ustinov instructs German rocket engineers to design '3000/3000' missile. Nation: USSR. Ustinov's requirement was to deliver a 3000 kg nuclear warhead over a 3000 km range (eg to reach the United Kingdom).

• Albring G-3 cruise missile Nation: USSR. Program: Navaho. German aerodynamicist Albring designed the G-3 missile for the Russians. This would use a rocket-powered Groettrup-designed G-1 as the first stage. The cruise stage would have an aerodynamic layout like that of the Saenger-Bredt rocket-powered antipodal bomber of World War II. Cruising at 13 km altitude, the supersonic missile would carry a 3000 kg warhead to a range of 2900 km. This was an alternate approach to Ustinov's 3000 kg over 3000 km range missile requirement of April 1949. This design would be elaborated at Korolev's bureau into the EKR ramjet design of 1953.

• Ordway, Frank, and Sharpe, Mitchell, The Rocket Team, Collector's Guide Publishing, Ontario, Canada, 2000. ISBN: 1894959000. Original published by Thomas Y Crowell, New York, 1979. Updated edition published in 2000. More at amazon.com...

• Michels, Juergen and Przybilski, Olaf, Peenemuende und seine Erben in Ost und West, Bernard & Graefe, Bonn, 1997. ISBN: 3763759603. Marvelous German language book traces the 'technology transfer' from the Peenemuende refugees to the rocketry programs of America, Russia, Germany, and other countries. More at amazon.com...

• Karpenko, A V, Utkin, A F and Popov,A D, Otechestvenniye strategischeskiye raketnoye kompleks, Sankt-Peterburg: Nevskii bastion; Gangut 1999.. Well-illustrated encyclopedia of the missiles of the Russian strategic missile forces.