Rocketry, WWII, Germany Walter 109-500 rocket engine, c 1944

Rocketry, WWII, Germany Walter 109-500 rocket engine, c 1944. Sectioned. These engines were developed by the Germans for use as rocket-assisted take-off (RATO) units to aid heavily laden bomber aircraft to take off, particularly from short runways in conditions of little or no wind. They were used particularly on the Arado Ar 234, a pioneering jet bomber and reconnaissance aircraft which first flew in 1943. Once airborne, the engines, which only burned for 30 seconds, would be jettisoned and parachuted to the ground so that they could be re-used. Their thrust was developed by the catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. ©SSPL/Science Museum