Why did the Baade 152 have such an unusual wing?

Short answer

What stood out on the Baade 152's wing was at the tips: the main gear sat along the fuselage axis while auxiliary wheels sat at the wingtips, unusual for a passenger aircraft and similar to the Boeing B-47. The 152 was designed and built in East Germany by VEB Flugzeugwerke Dresden after the OKB-1 team was repatriated.

Published: November 4, 2026 · Updated: November 4, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Why did the Baade 152 have such an unusual wing?

Jet 152 Ejection SeatBillyhill (CC BY), vía commons

From Zavyalovo to Dresden

The development of what would become known as the Baade 152 dates back to 1953, with a team of German aeronautical engineers led by Brunolf Baade — from whom the type takes its name — working in Zavyalovo, Russia. The aircraft was designed and built in East Germany by VEB Flugzeugwerke Dresden after the OKB-1 team was repatriated. In 1955 VEB formally began work on the 152 and in the process had to redesign the aircraft in practice.

Wheels on the wingtips

The 152's landing gear was unusual for a passenger aircraft: the main gear was housed along the fuselage axis, with stabilising wheels at the wingtips, similar to the better-known Boeing B-47.

A very short flight history

On 4 December 1958 the first prototype, the V1/I registered DM-ZYA, made its first flight. On 4 March 1959 that first prototype was lost in a crash in which the entire crew on board died; the cause is unclear.