Since the BMW 003 jets proved heavier than anticipated, the wing was swept slightly, by 18.5°, to accommodate a change in the center of gravity. That turned out to be important, both for availability and maintenance. Because the engines were slow to arrive, Messerschmitt moved the engines from the wing roots to underwing pods, allowing them to be changed more readily if needed. The progression of the original design was delayed greatly by technical problems with the new jet engine. Plans were first drawn up in April 1939 and, when submitted in June 1939, the original design was very different from the aircraft that eventually entered service, with wing-root-mounted engines, rather than podded ones. Woldemar Voigt headed the design team, with Messerschmitt's chief of development, Robert Lusser, overseeing. The project originated with a request by the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM, Ministry of Aviation) for a jet aircraft capable of one hour's endurance and a speed of at least 850 km/h (530 mph 460 kn). As a result, the Me 262 was already under development as Projekt 1065 (P.1065) before the start of World War II. After the successful test flights of the world's first jet aircraft-the Heinkel He 178-within a week of the invasion of Poland which started the war, they adopted the jet engine for an advanced fighter aircraft. Several years before World War II, the Germans foresaw the great potential for aircraft that used the jet engine constructed by Hans von Ohain in 1936. 6 Specifications (Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1a)ĭesign and development Origins.3.1 Rüstsätze (field modification kits).Several aircraft survive on static display in museums, and there are several privately built flying reproductions that use modern General Electric J85 engines. Captured Me 262s were studied and flight-tested by the major powers, and ultimately influenced the designs of post-war aircraft such as the North American F-86 Sabre, MiG-15 and Boeing B-47 Stratojet. It also heavily influenced several designs, such as the Sukhoi Su-9 (1946) and Nakajima Kikka. While German use of the aircraft ended with the close of World War II, a small number were operated by the Czechoslovak Air Force until 1951.Īlso Israel was allegedly counted as a user of a variable number (from 2 to 8) of Me-262, in their Avia version, even if there are no official confirmations of that. In the end, the Me 262 had a negligible impact on the course of the war as a result of its late introduction and the consequently small numbers put in operational service. Armament production within Germany was focused on more easily manufactured aircraft. Attacks by Allied forces on fuel supplies during the deteriorating late-war situation also reduced the effectiveness of the aircraft as a fighting force.
Strategic materials shortages and design compromises on the Junkers Jumo 004 axial-flow turbojet engines led to reliability problems. The Allies countered its effectiveness in the air by attacking the aircraft on the ground and during takeoff and landing.
Me 262 pilots claimed a total of 542 Allied aircraft shot down, although higher claims are sometimes made. One of the most advanced aviation designs in operational use during World War II, the Me 262's roles included light bomber, reconnaissance and experimental night fighter versions. The Me 262 was faster and more heavily armed than any Allied fighter, including the British jet-powered Gloster Meteor. Design work started before World War II began, but problems with engines, metallurgy and top-level interference kept the aircraft from operational status with the Luftwaffe until mid-1944. The Messerschmitt Me 262, nicknamed Schwalbe (German: " Swallow") in fighter versions, or Sturmvogel (German: " Storm Bird") in fighter-bomber versions, is a German fighter aircraft and fighter-bomber that was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft.
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