ROTASCHUTE MK I

The Hafner Rotachute was a British experimental WWII whirlwind. The prototype's flight took place in 1942, but the machine never entered mass production. Probably about 8 prototype units were built. The machine was 3 m long, 1.5 m high and had a rotor diameter of 4.6 m. The machine did not have on-board weapons. The Hafner Rotachute was developed by the Austrian engineer Raoul Hafner in Great Britain for the needs of British airborne units. The new device was to be a one-man whirlwind, which would allow a single soldier to land precisely and safely behind enemy lines. A total of four versions were made (marked from Mark I to Mark IV), of which only the Mk. III and Mk.IV were probably considered possible production versions. However, in the course of tests, the device proved to be of little real usefulness, and in 1943 the work was stopped and shortly afterwards canceled.