Rüstsätze
Encyclopedia
Rüstsätze were field modification kits produced for the German Luftwaffe
during the Second World War. They were packaged in kit form, usually direct from the aircraft manufacturer, and allowed for field modifications of various German aircraft used in World War 2
, predominantly fighter bombers and night fighters. Rüstsätze kits could be fitted in the field, as opposed to Umrüst-Bausätze kits, which were typically fitted in the factory. This was not a hard and fast rule, however; during production runs various Rüstsätze kits were often fitted by factories in order to meet Luftwaffe demands.
Typical Rüstsätze kits would include extra cannon
or machine gun armament, most often mounted in underwing gun pod
s, bomb
and drop tank
fittings, extra armor, fuel, and various electrical system upgrades. The kits were numbered R1, R2, R3 and so forth. Some of these upgrades would become almost standard on certain fighters. For example, the R8 kit for a Messerschmitt Bf 110
added upward-firing cannon for use against bombers, and was often unofficially called Schräge Musik
; the kit was eventually fitted to almost a third of Germany's night fighters.
The nomenclature was often confusing, as each Luftwaffe aircraft type used their own unique series of /R-series (as well as the factory fitted /U-series) numbers: the "/R2" kit for a Messerschmitt Bf 109
G was for the fitment of a pair of the powerful Werfer-Granate 21 (WGr 21) underwing mounted rockets, while the Focke-Wulf 190 used the "/R6" designation for this same exact fitment.
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190
was well known for its various Rüstsätze, which included:
R1: Standard radio equipment upgraded to the FuG 16ZE (as fitted to the FW 190A-4 and A-5)
R1: Addition of a WB (Waffen-Behälter) 151/20 cannon pod under each wing (as fitted to the FW 190A-6, A-7 or A-8)
R2: Addition of an MK 108 cannon
pod mount under each wing (as fitted to the FW 190A-6 and A-8)
R2: Outboard wing mounted MK 108 cannon (as fitted to the FW 190A-7, A-8 and A-9)
R2: Addition of wing mounted MK 108 cannons and a fuselage center line mounted WGr (Werfer-Granate) 21 rocket (as fitted to the FW 190A-8)
R3: Addition of wing mounted MK 103 cannon
s (as fitted to the FW 190A-6 and A-8)
R4: Addition of fuselage fitted GM-1
nitrous boost system (as fitted to the FW 190A-6 and A-8)
R5: Addition of fuselage fitted 115 liter fuel tank (as fitted to the FW 190A-8)
R6: Addition of two wing mounted Werfer-Granate 21
(Wfr. Gr. 21) rocket launchers (as fitted to the FW 190A-4, A-5, A-6, A-7 and A-8)
R7: Addition of armor to the cockpit (as fitted to the FW 190A-6, A-7 and A-8)
R8: Addition of wing mounted MK 108 cannons and cockpit armour (as fitted to the FW 190A-8 and A-9)
R11: Addition of FuG 125 radio, PKS 12 radio direction finder, and window heaters (as fitted to the FW 190A-8 and A-9)
R12: Addition of FuG 125 radio, PKS 12 radio direction finder, window heaters and wing mounted MK 108 cannons (as fitted to the FW 190A-8)
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
during the Second World War. They were packaged in kit form, usually direct from the aircraft manufacturer, and allowed for field modifications of various German aircraft used in World War 2
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
, predominantly fighter bombers and night fighters. Rüstsätze kits could be fitted in the field, as opposed to Umrüst-Bausätze kits, which were typically fitted in the factory. This was not a hard and fast rule, however; during production runs various Rüstsätze kits were often fitted by factories in order to meet Luftwaffe demands.
Typical Rüstsätze kits would include extra cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
or machine gun armament, most often mounted in underwing gun pod
Gun pod
A gun pod is a detachable pod or pack containing machine guns or automatic cannon and ancillaries, mounted externally on a vehicle such as a military aircraft which may or may not also have its own guns....
s, bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
and drop tank
Drop tank
In aeronautics, a drop tank is used to describe auxiliary fuel tanks externally carried by aircraft. A drop tank is expendable and often jettisonable...
fittings, extra armor, fuel, and various electrical system upgrades. The kits were numbered R1, R2, R3 and so forth. Some of these upgrades would become almost standard on certain fighters. For example, the R8 kit for a Messerschmitt Bf 110
Messerschmitt Bf 110
The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often called Me 110, was a twin-engine heavy fighter in the service of the Luftwaffe during World War II. Hermann Göring was a proponent of the Bf 110, and nicknamed it his Eisenseiten...
added upward-firing cannon for use against bombers, and was often unofficially called Schräge Musik
Schräge Musik
Schräge Musik, derived from the German colloquialism for "Jazz Music" was the name given to installations of upward-firing autocannon mounted in night fighters by the Luftwaffe and Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service during World War II, with the first victories for each occurring in May 1943...
; the kit was eventually fitted to almost a third of Germany's night fighters.
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
G was for the fitment of a pair of the powerful Werfer-Granate 21 (WGr 21) underwing mounted rockets, while the Focke-Wulf 190 used the "/R6" designation for this same exact fitment.
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190
Focke-Wulf Fw 190
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger was a German Second World War single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1930s. Powered by a radial engine, the 190 had ample power and was able to lift larger loads than its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109...
was well known for its various Rüstsätze, which included:
R1: Standard radio equipment upgraded to the FuG 16ZE (as fitted to the FW 190A-4 and A-5)
R1: Addition of a WB (Waffen-Behälter) 151/20 cannon pod under each wing (as fitted to the FW 190A-6, A-7 or A-8)
R2: Addition of an MK 108 cannon
MK 108 cannon
The MK 108 was a 30 mm caliber autocannon manufactured in Germany during World War II by Rheinmetall-Borsig for use in aircraft.-Development:...
pod mount under each wing (as fitted to the FW 190A-6 and A-8)
R2: Outboard wing mounted MK 108 cannon (as fitted to the FW 190A-7, A-8 and A-9)
R2: Addition of wing mounted MK 108 cannons and a fuselage center line mounted WGr (Werfer-Granate) 21 rocket (as fitted to the FW 190A-8)
R3: Addition of wing mounted MK 103 cannon
MK 103 cannon
The Rheinmetall-Borsig MK 103 was a German 30 mm caliber autocannon that was mounted in German combat aircraft during World War II. Intended to be a dual purpose weapon for anti-tank and air-to-air fighting, it was a development of the heavy MK 101. Compared to the MK 101, it was lighter,...
s (as fitted to the FW 190A-6 and A-8)
R4: Addition of fuselage fitted GM-1
GM-1
GM-1 , colloquially known as Haha-Gerät was a system for injecting nitrous oxide into aircraft engines that was used by the Luftwaffe in World War II. This increased the amount of oxygen in the fuel mixture, and thereby improve high-altitude performance...
nitrous boost system (as fitted to the FW 190A-6 and A-8)
R5: Addition of fuselage fitted 115 liter fuel tank (as fitted to the FW 190A-8)
R6: Addition of two wing mounted Werfer-Granate 21
WGr 21 rocket launcher
The Werfer-Granate 21 rocket launcher, also known as the BR 21 in official Luftwaffe manuals, was a weapon used by the German Luftwaffe during World War II and was the first on-board rocket in service by the Luftwaffe and was introduced in mid 1943. The weapon was developed by Rheinmetall-Borsig...
(Wfr. Gr. 21) rocket launchers (as fitted to the FW 190A-4, A-5, A-6, A-7 and A-8)
R7: Addition of armor to the cockpit (as fitted to the FW 190A-6, A-7 and A-8)
R8: Addition of wing mounted MK 108 cannons and cockpit armour (as fitted to the FW 190A-8 and A-9)
R11: Addition of FuG 125 radio, PKS 12 radio direction finder, and window heaters (as fitted to the FW 190A-8 and A-9)
R12: Addition of FuG 125 radio, PKS 12 radio direction finder, window heaters and wing mounted MK 108 cannons (as fitted to the FW 190A-8)