346
Original archive entry. The text, images and links below are kept as they were written.
Launch Kit Flight 02, Starsem Paris 1999 (http://www.starsem.com/newsst_kit.html) via Dietrich Haeseler.
Chronology
6 events
1946 October 22
- OKB-2 formed for exploitation of German rocketplane technology. - . Nation: Russia. Spacecraft: 346. Soviet director was A Ya Bereznyak, and chief designer was German engineer Hans Roessing. OKB-2 was tasked with continued development and flight of the German supersonic DFS 8-346 rocket reconnaissance aircraft..
1949 September 30
- First powered flight of the 346-2 rocketplane. - .
Nation: Russia.
Spacecraft: 346.
As with the American XS-1, the rocketplane was launched from a captured B-29 bomber. German pilot Wolfgang Ziese conducted all of the initial flight tests. Initial glider flights with the 346P, 346-1 aircraft were flown in 1948. The first powered flight was successful but Ziese was injured after the landing skid collapsed after a fast landing.
1950 October
- Second powered flight of the 346-2 rocketplane. - . Nation: Russia. Spacecraft: 346. 346-2 flights continued in October 1950 with Russian pilot P I Kasmin at the controls..
1951 August 15
- First flight of the 346-3 rocketplane. - . Nation: Russia. Spacecraft: 346. Ziese resumed flight with the final version of the 346, the 346-3..
1951 September 2
- Second flight of the 346-3 rocketplane. - . Nation: Russia. Spacecraft: 346. Ziese was at the controls again..