Air launch by Ar 234 thumb|Model of an Arado Ar 234 carrying a V-1 at the Technikmuseum SpeyerThere 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 , 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 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" for the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter, which was initially test-towed behind an 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.
Air launch by Ar 234 thumb|Model of an Arado Ar 234 carrying a V-1 at the Technikmuseum SpeyerThere 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  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 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" for the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter which was initially test-towed behind an 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