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The German X-4 was a small air-to-air missile of World War II that could be fired at heavily armed Allied bombers from a distance. To prevent jamming, guidance was by wires running between the missile and launch aircraft, rather than by radio. Slated for use on the Me 262 jet fighter, the X-4 could also have been fired from such piston-engine aircraft as the Ju 88, Ju 388, and Fw 190, all of which launched test missiles beginning in August 1944. Ruhrstahl produced 1,000 X-4 airframes in late 1944, but an Allied air raid destroyed the BMW engines and production lines, a blow from which the program never recovered.

The Smithsonian obtained these skin panels from the X-4's rear fuselage as part of the the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics' transfer of World War II missile artifacts in 1948.

Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.

Object Details

Country of Origin

Germany

Type

CRAFT-Missile & Rocket Parts

Manufacturer

Ruhrstahl AG

Dimensions

Overall (Each Panel): 2ft 7/8in. x 4 7/8in. x 1in. (63.18 x 12.38 x 2.54cm)

Materials

Galvanized steel
Possibly Tinned copper
Rubber (Silicone)
Synthetic Fabric

Inventory Number

A19510069000

Credit Line

Transferred from the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics

Data Source

National Air and Space Museum

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply
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