During the first half of the Second World War, the use of assault gliders was dependent on the availability of sufficient landing area. The idea arose of exploiting the almost vertical or very steep descent to be obtained from rotary wings in autorotation, and in 1942 the fuselage of a DFS 230 glider had its fixed wings replaced by an Fa 223 three-blade rotor mounted on a structural pylon. To take the increased landing load, a braced undercarriage replaced the normal skid. This hybrid rotaglider, designated Focke Achgelis Fa 225, was towed behind a Junkers-Ju 52/3m in tests, during 1943, and could land within a distance of 18 m (59 ft). It was not put to operational use.
Fa 225
Rotor diameter: 12m
Loaded weight: 4400 lb
Useful load: 2200 lb
Max towed speed: 190km/h
All Aero 