In 1934, along with Professor Georg Madelung, Schmidt proposed a "flying bomb" to be powered by his pulse jet to the Ministry and received a development contract the following year.

In 1938 he demonstrated a pulse jet–powered pilotless bomber, but the project was shelved by the Air Ministry as the prototype lacked range and accuracy and was expensive to construct.

Acetylene was used for starting, and very often a panel of wood or similar was held across the end of the tailpipe to prevent the fuel from diffusing and escaping before ignition was complete.

Once the engine had been started and the temperature rose to the minimum operating level, the external air hose and connectors were removed and the resonant design of the tailpipe kept the pulse jet firing.

Since the engine was rather simple, low-grade gasoline could be used and a good amount of thrust — 2.7 kN (660 lbf) — was produced, but it was inefficient, limiting the range of the V-1 to 240–400 km (150–250 mi) The resonant frequency of this combustion process was around 45 Hz, giving the V-1 its nicknames "buzz bomb" or "doodlebug", because of the sputtering sound it emitted.

The As 014, as well as the higher thrust As 044 pulsejet engine, was also under consideration as a power source for various last-ditch German fighters in the closing days of World War II.