Arado E . 381 The Arado E . 381 ( " Kleinstjäger " – " smallest fighter " ) was a proposed parasite fighter aircraft . Conceived by " Arado Flugzeugwerke " in December 1944 for German y ' 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 . 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 under - belly skids . 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 , or approximately a quarter of the cross section of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 . Development . Near the end of World War II , in December 1944 , the German aircraft manufacturers Arado , BMW , Gotha , Heinkel , Henschel , and Zeppelin submitted design proposals for small rocket - or jet - powered aircraft intended for pursuit or ground attack duties . All these proposals exploited the Luftwaffe ' s concept of " gaining a tactical advantage by placing excessive stress on the man in the cockpit [ the German pilot ] " . The g - forces envisioned in these proposals were feasible for aircraft structures but exceeded human capabilities in a normal sitting position . The designers attempted to alleviate this constraint by placing the pilot in the prone position , which increased the sustainable g - force limit . This also allowed a reduction in fuselage size , weight , and drag . A smaller cross section also decreased the likelihood of being hit by enemy gunners , and Arado exploited this opportunity to the fullest . According to their " specific design philosophy " , the fighter was designed to fly close to bomber formations and open fire from its MK 108 cannon at point - blank range . The E . 381 began in a proposal from " Arado Flugzeugwerke " to the Air Ministry for a parasite fighter , carried underneath another aircraft , to destroy Allied bombers . Three variants of the E . 381 , named Mark I , II and III , were designed . Each version was essentially an armor ed tube provided with armament and a Walter HWK 109 - 509 rocket engine for power . The aircraft would have carried enough fuel for two approaches to the target as well as only sixty ( some say forty - five ) rounds . After using all his fuel during an attack it was intended that the pilot would glide the fighter to the ground , deploy its drogue parachute , and land the aircraft on a primitive skid landing gear . None of the designs were ever completed due to its cancellation , though some wooden airframes and a single mockup were constructed in 1944 to provide prone - position training for pilots . The E . 381 was cancelled due to a lack of funds and interest by the Ministry of Aviation , along with a scarcity of mother Ar 234 aircraft . Variants . Arado E . 381 / I . The first design , the Mark I , had a fuselage with a circular cross section and a small round window in the nose for pilot vision . A armored shell protected most of the fuselage . The pilot would have been in a prone position in the very cramped cockpit ( the cross - section was , or approximately a quarter of the cross section of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 . ) behind a removable bullet - resistant glass screen mounted in front of the pilot . Two small bulges were located on the sides of the fuselage for the pilot ' s elbows . Three C - Stoff tanks surrounded the pilot , with the T - Stoff tank in the center section between the pilot and the engine . The aircraft had straight wings mounted at the top of the aircraft . In the dorsal area ( at the wing mounts ) the fuselage humped to accommodate a blister for a single MK 108 cannon and 60 ( other writers say 45 ) rounds . The Walter HWK 109 - 509B rocket engine was mounted beneath the aft fuselage , which also carried a twin - fin empennage and the drogue parachute housing . Landing the aircraft required the extension of the retractable landing skid and the deployment of a braking drogue parachute . As pilots could only access the plane from a hatch above the cockpit , the pilot would have to enter the E . 381 before it could be attached to the carrier Ar 234C and had no way to escape in case of an emergency while attached to the carrier . Arado E . 381 / II . The second design , the Mark II , was very similar to the Mark I , aside from being larger and having smaller fins The variant was planned to have a deeper and shorter fuselage and a high mid - wing layout . It was to be powered by a Walter HWK 109 - 509 A - 2 engine . The unit was rated at of thrust . About a quarter of the way back from the nose the fuselage deepened in the form of a hump which extended to the tail . This hump housed a single MK 108 cannon with 45 rounds . Arado E . 381 / III . The third design , the Mark III , was also similar to the Mark I , aside from being larger than any of the preceding variants . The circular cross section of the previous variants became more triangular and the MK 108 cannon was replaced with six rockets of an unspecified type . Although the landing procedure was unchanged , a hatch was added on the side to provide for simpler pilot entry and exit .