First prototype pictured during the initial hovering trails period, when it was not wearing the D-9517 registration yet; that was applied when the aircraft was crossing the airfield boundaries in horizontal flight. First free hover was made by the american test pilot George Bright on April 10; first horizontal flight on August 31 and first transition on September 20, 1963. The first of several supersonic flight was made on July 29, 1964; the aircraft crashed on September 4, 1964.

Entwicklungsring Süd (also known as EWR-Süd) was a consortium of Messerschmitt, Heinkel and Bölkow.