{{infobox weapon , name = Fernfeuer , image = , caption = , origin =

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

, type = Long-range surface-to-surface missile; aerial mine-layer , is_explosive = y , is_vehicle = , is_missile = y , designer =

Fritz Gosslau Fritz Gosslau (25 March 1898 – 1 December 1965) was a German engineer, known for his work on the V-1 flying bomb. Study Gosslau was born in Berlin. In 1923, he completed his engineering studies by gaining a diploma from the Technical Univer ...

, design_date = October 1939 , manufacturer = Argus Motoren GmbH , unit_cost = , production_date = , number = None , variants = , weight = 3000 kg (6,614 lb) maximum , length = 9.5 m (31.17 ft) (est) , width = , height = 1 m (3.28 ft) (est) , diameter = , crew = Unmanned , rate = , velocity = 450 km/h (280 mph) , range = , max_range = 1000 km (621miles) (est) , feed = , sights = , filling = , filling_weight = , detonation = , yield = , armour = , primary_armament = Internal explosive charge 1000 kg (2,205 lb) , secondary_armament = , engine =

Argus As 410 The Argus As 410 was a German air-cooled inverted V-12 light aircraft engine that was first produced by Argus Motoren in 1938. Design and development The engine marked a departure from earlier Argus engines in that it had new construction tech ...

, engine_power = 465 hp , pw_ratio = , transmission = , payload_capacity = , suspension = , clearance = , fuel_capacity = , vehicle_range = , speed = , guidance = Line of sight radio-control or radio beam following , steering = , wingspan = 10 m (32.81 ft) (est.) , propellant = , ceiling = 5000m (16,405 ft) , altitude = , depth = , boost = , accuracy = , launch_platform = , transport = The Argus Fernfeuer (Long-Range Fire) concept was proposed in 1939 as an

unmanned aerial vehicle An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controlle ...

(UAV) for mine-laying. Later roles were planned for bombing, the dropping of torpedoes and long-range reconnaissance. Development was halted in 1941 but the project, also known as Erfurt, evolved into the V1.

Development

Arising from the Argus As 292 project, the Argus Fernfeuer was also designed by

. During the testing of the small As 292 drone, Gosslau proposed an aircraft-sized UAV capable of delivering a one tonne drop charge over long distances. Control was either by line-of-sight radio control or by radio beam direction. A crewed aircraft, flying clear of local defenses, would signal the UAV to release the drop-load. The Fernfeuer aircraft would then return to base. Guidance expertise would have been from C. Lorenz; airframe advice and construction by Arado. A crewed variant, intended as a command aircraft, was also included in the proposal. Presented to

Reichsluftfahrtministerium The Ministry of Aviation (german: Reichsluftfahrtministerium, abbreviated RLM) was a government department during the period of Nazi Germany (1933–45). It is also the original name of the Detlev-Rohwedder-Haus building on the Wilhelmstrasse ...

(RLM) on November 9, 1939. Despite initial interest in the Fernfeuer concept, the RLM informed Gosslau and the Argus company that the project was to be shelved. Development abandoned by January 1941 in favor of the

V-1 flying bomb The V-1 flying bomb (german: Vergeltungswaffe 1 "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Reich Aviation Ministry () designation was Fi 103. It was also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb or doodlebug and in Germany ...

References

# Holsken, Dieter, ''V-missiles of the Third Reich the V-1 and V-2'' (1994), pp. 46–49, 343. Primary source for much of the information are the personal documents of Fritz Gosslau. Fernfeuer Abandoned military aircraft projects of Germany 1940s German bomber aircraft Unmanned military aircraft of Germany