Logo of the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków
Permanent Exhibition Engines Engine Hall

Walter HWK 109-507

Country:Germany
Type:rocket engine
Year:1944

A rocket engine used to power the Hs 293 glide bomb, an example of the use of unconventional propulsion systems.

The originality of this engine lay in the elimination of the combustion process (a so-called cold rocket engine). The propellant consisted of two components — an aqueous solution of calcium or potassium permanganate and 80% hydrogen peroxide. The catalytic reaction of permanganate with hydrogen peroxide produced an enormous amount of steam at a temperature of 500 degrees C (a so-called cold chemical reaction).

Technical data:

Operating time10 s
Thrust590 kG