Editing V-1 flying bomb (section)

==Experimental, piloted, and long-range variants==
===Piloted variant===
 [[File:Fi103R at La Coupole.jpg|thumb|Fieseler F103R Reichenberg piloted V-1]]
Late in the war, several air-launched piloted V-1s, known as {{lang|de|[[Fieseler Fi 103R (Reichenberg)|Reichenbergs]]}}, were built, but these were never used in combat. [[Hanna Reitsch]] made some flights in the modified V-1 Fieseler {{lang|de|Reichenberg}} when she was asked to find out why test pilots were unable to land it and had died as a result. She discovered, after simulated landing attempts at high altitude, where there was air space to recover, that the craft had an extremely high [[stall speed]], and the previous pilots with little high-speed experience had attempted their approaches much too slowly. Her recommendation of much higher landing speeds was then introduced in training new {{lang|de|Reichenberg}} volunteer pilots. It was for this that she was awarded the [[Iron Cross First Class]]{{Sfn | Aeronautical | 1966 | p =  45}} The {{lang|de|Reichenberg}}s were air-launched rather than fired from a [[catapult]] ramp.

It had the appearance of a standard V1 with the addition of cockpit, ailerons, landing skids and flight instruments. The pilot would have been airlifted by either [[Heinkel He 111]] or a [[Focke-Wulf Fw 200]]. After release, the pilot would start the pulse jet engine, select a target, set the controls then bail out. The chance of survival were considered very small, yet many pilots volunteered. Possibly 175 of these piloted V1s were converted at Darmesbury after initial development by  [[Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug]] (DFS/German Research Institute for Sailplane Flight) at [[Ainring]].
When Hitler banned the use of the piloted V1, most converted models were scrapped. However, a few were captured by the Allied Technical Air Intelligence crews in Germany. At least one was sent to England, and two, possibly three, were sent to the US for inspection.{{Sfn | Aeronautical | 1966 | p =  45}}

Three different versions of the piloted FZG-76 were produced. The Reichenburg I was a one or two-seat unpowered glider intended for use as a training glider for pilot training. Reichenburg II was a single-seat FZG-76 fitted with a pulse jet power plant. A skid was fitted for dead stick landing to gain valuable flying experience. Reichenburg III was to be the operational piloted version of the V1, fitted with the amatol warhead in the nose.{{Sfn | Aeronautical | 1966 | p =  45}} The front windscreen had {{cvt|75|mm|in}} thick [[bulletproof glass]] for pilot protection. The V1 pilot's kit consisted of a [[parachute]], helmet and life vest. A small case contained two small [[flare]]s in a waterproof container.{{Sfn | Aeronautical | 1966 | p =  47}}

===Air launch by Ar 234===
[[File:Arado Ar 234 Blitz mit V1 pic1.JPG|thumb|Model of an [[Arado Ar 234]] carrying a V-1 at the [[Technikmuseum Speyer]]]]There were plans, not put into practice, to use the [[Arado Ar 234]] jet bomber to launch V-1s either by towing them aloft or by launching them from a "piggy back" position (in the manner of the {{lang|de|[[Mistel]]}}, but in reverse) atop the aircraft. In the latter configuration, a pilot-controlled, hydraulically operated dorsal trapeze mechanism would elevate the missile on the trapeze's launch cradle about {{convert|8|ft|m|order=flip|abbr=on}} clear of the 234's upper fuselage. This was necessary to avoid damaging the mother craft's fuselage and tail surfaces when the pulsejet ignited, as well as to ensure a "clean" airflow for the Argus motor's intake. A somewhat less ambitious project undertaken was the adaptation of the missile as a "flying fuel tank" {{lang|de|(Deichselschlepp)}} for the [[Messerschmitt Me 262]] jet fighter, which was initially test-towed behind an [[Heinkel He 177|He 177A Greif]] bomber. The pulsejet, internal systems and warhead of the missile were removed, leaving only the wings and basic fuselage, now containing a single large fuel tank. A small cylindrical module, similar in shape to a finless dart, was placed atop the vertical stabiliser at the rear of the tank, acting as a centre of gravity balance and attachment point for a variety of equipment sets. A rigid towbar with a pitch pivot at the forward end connected the flying tank to the Me 262. The operational procedure for this unusual configuration saw the tank resting on a wheeled trolley for take-off. The trolley was dropped once the combination was airborne, and explosive bolts separated the towbar from the fighter upon exhaustion of the tank's fuel supply. A number of test flights were conducted in 1944 with this set-up, but inflight "porpoising" of the tank, with the instability transferred to the fighter, meant that the system was too unreliable to be used. An identical utilisation of the V-1 flying tank for the Ar 234 bomber was also investigated, with the same conclusions reached. Some of the "flying fuel tanks" used in trials utilised a cumbersome fixed and spatted undercarriage arrangement, which (along with being pointless) merely increased the drag and stability problems already inherent in the design.{{citation needed|date=June 2017}}

===F-1 version===
One variant of the basic Fi&nbsp;103 design did see operational use. The progressive loss of French launch sites as 1944 proceeded and the area of territory under German control shrank meant that soon the V-1 would lack the range to hit targets in England. Air launching was one alternative utilised, but the most obvious solution was to extend the missile's range. Thus, the F-1 version developed. The weapon's fuel tank was increased in size, with a corresponding reduction in the capacity of the warhead. Additionally, the nose cones and wings of the F-1 models were made of wood, affording a considerable weight saving. With these modifications, the V-1 could be fired at London and nearby urban centres from prospective ground sites in the Netherlands. Frantic efforts were made to construct a sufficient number of F-1s in order to allow a large-scale bombardment campaign to coincide with the [[Ardennes Offensive]], but numerous factors (bombing of the factories producing the missiles, shortages of steel and rail transport, the chaotic tactical situation Germany was facing at this point in the war, etc.) delayed the delivery of these long-range V-1s until February/March 1945. Beginning on 2 March 1945, slightly more than three weeks before the V-1 campaign finally ended, several hundred F-1s were launched at Britain from Dutch sites under Operation "Zeppelin". Frustrated by increasing Allied dominance in the air, Germany also employed V-1s to attack the RAF's forward airfields, such as [[Volkel Air Base|Volkel]], in the Netherlands.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The RAF Regiment at War 1942–1946 |last=Oliver |first=Kingsley |publisher=Pen & Sword }}</ref>

===FZG-76 version===
There was also a [[turbojet]]-propelled upgraded variant proposed,{{sfn|Christopher|2013|p=179}} meant to use the [[Porsche 109-005]] low-cost turbojet engine<ref>[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IeOYPiW1wHM/VFNzWZ6dE2I/AAAAAAAAOAE/Fo67HeC4cOU/s1600/por12.png Porsche 109-005 engine drawing].</ref> with about {{Cvt|500|kgf|lbf}} thrust.{{Sfn | Kay | 2002 | p =  153-155}}