Arado E.381

Arado E.381
Model of an Arado Ar 234 V21 carrying an Arado E.381 at the Technikmuseum Speyer
Role	Parasite fighter Type of aircraft
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	Arado
Status	Abandoned
Primary user	Luftwaffe
Number built	0 powered aircraft,[1] 4 unmanned wooden airframes.[2]

The Arado E.381 (Kleinstjäger – "smallest fighter") was a proposed parasite fighter aircraft. Conceived by Arado Flugzeugwerke in December 1944 for Germany's Luftwaffe during World War II, the E.381 was to have been carried aloft by and launched from an Arado Ar 234 "mother" aircraft. It would then have activated its rocket engine, which would have propelled it to attack Allied (mainly American and British) bombers. Development was cancelled due to lack of funds and official support.^[1][3][4]

There were three proposed variants; each had fuel capacity for only two target runs, after which the pilot would have been required to glide without power to a landing on underbelly skids.^[3] To survive close pursuits, the E.381 was designed with the narrowest frontal cross-section possible to increase its chances of surviving shots from the front. This also forced the pilot to lie in a prone position. The cross-section was 0.45 square meters (4.8 sq ft), or approximately a quarter of the cross-section of the Messerschmitt Bf 109.