During the initial stages of design, various ideas were taken under consideration including the use of rocket-assisted take-off. Construction was mostly of aluminum, steel sheeting and wood. The design weighed heavily on keeping the aircraft's center of gravity in check though many issues arose during development that would have plagued the aircraft throughout any foreseeable career. A total of two designs were seriously looked into and known as Design II and Design III. The former featured a repositioned undercarriage and subtle changes in design throughout. The latter - and the design eventually selected for competition - saw a slightly-less sweep on the wings and a repositioning of the wing and cockpit.
The Ta 183 design eventually lost out (at least on paper) to a Junkers design (in the form of the EF128). When it was realized that the Ta 183 was in fact the better of the two designs, the Ta 183 was put back on the forefront with prototype and production numbers being seriously considered. This put Kurt Tank and his experts into action on a working model but the end of the war would see an end to all further development - Tank would later take off for Argentina to avoid any type of criminal prosecution for his role in the war.
While in exile in Argentina, Tank took to completing the Hans Multhopp Ta 183 design for the Argentine government. Financial ruin in the country left the nation looking for a budgeted alternative to any new, troublesome and costly designs, thusly settling for the North American F-86 Sabre available in some numbers on the market following the Korean War. To that end, the Ta 183 did see life in the form of the Argentine IAe "Pulqui II" but only five of its type were ever completed by the Fabrica Militar de Aviones. This incarnation of Multhopp's design was viewed largely as a failure with Tank's changes to the initial configuration being largely to blame.
It is also suspected that the Soviet Union's MiG-15 "Fagot" design was inspired by Ta 183 documentation captured from German sources after the war. The aircraft did seem to share an outward similarity but are generally viewed as quite different in most respects. The Swedish SAAB Tunnan is also thought to be inspired by the Ta 183. Regardless, the Ta 183 design itself proved quite an undertaking considering the ambitiousness inherent in the drastic layout and infant jet technology required to power such a design. Though none were wholly-built, its "paper" form can still be thought of as inspiring other designs in its wake.
Incidentally, the designation of "Huckebein" is in reference to a cartoon raven of the time - a character that created mischief for others whenever possible. An applicable designation considering the design goals of the German Emergency Fighter Program.
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