Dornier Kiebitz

1970s German battlefield reconnaissance system

Do 32K/Do 34 Kiebitz

The Do 32K on display at the Dornier Museum
Role	Unmanned reconnaissance helicopter Type of aircraft
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	Dornier Werke GmbH
First flight	1970
Developed from	Dornier Do 32

The Dornier Kiebitz was an unmanned military reconnaissance mobile platform used for battlefield reconnaissance duties such as moving target detection and tracking.^[1]

Variants

Do 32K (experimental): Initial variant using the rotor and BMW 6012 powerplant of the Dornier Do 32 manned helicopter.
Do 32K Kiebitz I (operational): Tip jet rotor using air from an Allison 250-C2 driven compressor.^[2]
Do 34 Kiebitz II: Larger variant, used for ARGUS (Autonomes Radar Gefechtsfeld Uberwachungs System) battlefield reconnaissance system development.

Specifications (Do 34 Kiebitz)

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1982-83.^[3]

General characteristics

Crew: Unmanned
Capacity: 300 m/85 kg of cable
Diameter: 2 m (6 ft 7 in)
Height: 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in)
Empty weight: 350 kg (772 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 550 kg (1,213 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Allison 250-C20B turboshaft, 313 kW (420 hp)
Main rotor diameter: 8 m (26 ft 3 in)

Performance

Endurance: More than 24 hours
Service ceiling: 300 m (980 ft)
Disk loading: 10.9 kg/m² (2.2 lb/sq ft)

References

^ Cyril von Gersdorff, Kurt Knobling and Carl Bode. (1999) pp.144-147
^ Taylor 1972, p. 496.
^ Taylor 1982, p. 674.

Bibliography

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dornier Kiebitz.

Cyril von Gersdorff, Kurt Knobling and Carl Bode. Helicopters and Gyroplanes. Bernard & Graefe Verlag Publishers. 1999. ISBN 3-7637-6115-2
Taylor, John W.R. Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1972-73., London, Sampson Low, Marston and Company Ltd, 1972. ISBN ISBN 0-354-00109-4.
Taylor, John W.R. Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1982-83., London, Jane's Publishing Company Ltd, 1982. ISBN 0 7106-0748-2.

Dornier and Zeppelin-Lindau aircraft

Zeppelin-Lindau
1914-1919