BV 246 Hagelkorn Glide Bomb, No, this is not something curr…

No, this is not something currently being used by any air force, although it looks as though perhaps it could be. This German WWII weapon was designed by Blohm & Voss, initially as the BV 226. By December 1943, when it went into serial production, it was relabelled the BV 246 Hagelkorn (Hailstone). 1,100 were produced in two months before the programme was cancelled. The Hagelkorn had a streamlined fuselage and cruciform tail. The high thin wings were constructed of die-cast concrete (!) aerofoils with a steel core. It nevertheless managed a very acceptable glide angle of 25:1, allowing it a range of 210 kms when dropped from 10,500m. It was dropped from both Heinkel He-111 medium bombers (which could carry three) and Focke-Wulf FW-190 fighters. However, the radio command link was a problem that its designers could not fully solve and an anti-radar version was also not successful. None of the weapons were used in action. This example can be seen, with a range of other exotic German weapons from WWII at the RAF Museum

Bomb, Glide, BV 246 Hagelkorn (Hailstone)

Glide Bomb, Blohm und Voss BV 246, Vertical Fin, Left

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Blohm & Voss BV 246 Glide Bomb Luft '46 Entry

Luftwaffe, Plane-Encyclopedia

Blohm & Voss BV 246 Hagelkorn – German Guided Glide Bomb

Why did the Luftwaffe never employ 4 engine bombers like the US and UK did in WW2? Was it bad philosophy of using bombers to support the army exclusively or just oversight?

Bomb, Glide, BV 246 Hagelkorn (Hailstone)

1:32 Blohm & Voss BV – 246 “Hagelkorn”- Limited edition resin kit – LEM Kits

Why did the Luftwaffe never employ 4 engine bombers like the US and UK did in WW2? Was it bad philosophy of using bombers to support the army exclusively or just oversight?

Luftwaffe, Plane-Encyclopedia