Henschel Hs 293 Guided Missile

The Henschel Hs 293 was a World War II German anti ship missile guided by radio control or wire guidence with a rocket engine slung underneath it. The weapon consisted of a modified standard 500 kg bomb with a thin metal shell and a high explosive charge. The biliquid rocket engine was attached underneath the bomb. A pair of wings and a tail plane were attached to assist in the glide path of the missile.

Later version (HS 293 B) had wire guidance and a spool was attached to the rear fuselage near the tail plane. It was designed to offset the possiblity of the missile's guidance being jammed.

This example bears much of its original painted finish. The nose of the propelling unit has received impact damage.

B model German anti ship glide bomb which has been adapted for wire control instead of radio control. Early 'A' versions mounted a radio receiver inside the fuselage, with the unit getting its signals from a transmitter set located in the launch aircraft.

Later versions, such as this example, had wire guidance and a spool was attached to the rear fuselage near the tail plane. The rocket provided for only a short burst of speed making range dependent on the height of launch. From a height of 1400 meters the Hs 293 had a range of about 3 kilometres. The wire guided version was never used operationally.

This missile was received through the RAAF in late 1949 and was possibly previously evaluated by the RAAF Component Long Range Weapons Establishment at Woomera.