This high performance Standard Class single-seater was designed by Dipl-Ing Gerhard Waibel, who had been responsible for the ASW-12, and is of glassfibre/foam sandwich construction.
It first flew in prototype form in April 1968, and initially had a fixed monowheel and fairing which could be converted into a retractable one for open Class competitions, but after this requirement was relaxed the retractable wheel became standard.
The ASW-15B introduced a number of improvements, including a larger monowheel, a strengthened fuselage keel, a larger rudder, a lengthened cockpit and as an optional extra two 40 litre water ballast tanks; the all-up weight was increased.
A total of 447 ASW 15s of all versions had been built by January 1977, and production has now ended.
The type made its competition debut at the 1968 World Championships at Lezno in Poland, when an ASW 15 by Hans-Werner Grosse of Germany came 10th in the Standard Class.
The ASW 15 resembles the ASW-12 externally except for an all-moving tailplane set low on the fin, and the cantilever shoulder wings have a glassfibre roving spar and a glassfibre/balsa sandwich torsion box; the Schlempp-hirth air brakes are spring-sealed in separate boxes to preserve the streamlining. and the ailerons are of glassfibre/foam sandwich construction.
The fuselage is a glassfibre/honeycomb sandwich structure, and ease of rigging is ensured by using tongue-fork connections for the wings, secured by two bolts.
The tailplane is similar in construction to the wing, while the fin is similar structurally to the fuselage and the rudder has the same structure as the ailerons.
The monowheel is retracted manually by means of push-pull rods, and has an internal drum brake.
The pilot sits in a semi-reclining seat under a large flush-fitting one-piece canopy, and his rudder pedals are adjustable in flight.
In 1976 an ASW 15 B was fitted with a 30 hp Wankel KM 27 300cc rotating piston engine by Ing Joseph Vonderau of fichtel & Sachs System-Technik.
In this form it was known as the ASW 15M, and a 4.4 Imp gallon fuel tank was installed.
