The Messerschmitt Me 262 was a German World War II fighter aircraft built by Messerschmitt in the later stages of the war, and under license by Avia post-war.

Prototypes

Messerschmitt began work on a single-seat jet-powered fighter before the start of World War II. The initial design was known as Projekt 1070 (P.1070). A twin-engined straight-wing design, the P.1070 was canceled in favor of the similar P.65. The P.65 was designed with a straight wing, similar to the P.1070, as well as an unswept vertical stabilizer. The prototypes were to be powered by two BMW 003 (P.3302) turbojet engines, while production aircraft would have had two BMW P.3304 engines. Messerschmitt later redesigned the P.65 with swept wings and tail surfaces as the P.1065, which was to have conventional landing gear and be armed with three MG 151 cannons with 250 rounds each. As of July 1940, the RLM ordered 20 prototypes of the P.1065 and planned to take delivery of the first aircraft by September of that year. However, delays with the BMW 003 engines meant that no P.1065 prototypes had been built by the end of the year.

In February 1941, Messerschmitt began work on the P.1065 V1, which was powered by a single Junkers Jumo 210G piston engine driving a two-bladed propeller. The V1 prototype made its first flight on April 18, 1941, ten days after the P.1065 was assigned the designation Me 262. In September 1941, BMW delivered the P.3302 engines to Messerschmitt, which were fitted to the Me 262 V1 after it had flown 47 times under piston power. The BMW-powered V1, which retained its Jumo engine, made its first take-off under jet power on March 25, 1941. Both engines suffered a compressor blade failure during the flight, forcing test pilot Fritz Wendel to land under piston power alone.

Following the successful test flights of the rival Heinkel He 280, the RLM cut back its initial order for 20 prototypes to just five on May 29, 1942. However, only three days later, Messerschmitt took delivery of two Junkers Jumo 004A turbojet engines. These were fitted to a new prototype, the Me 262 V3, which, after a failed first take-off attempt, took off on the second attempt and flew without problems on June 18. Following the success of the V3, the V2 prototype (which was intended to be powered by the BMW 003) was fitted with these engines and a new V4 prototype was built to this configuration. The conventional landing gear of the first four prototypes caused exhaust from the engines to deflect off the runway and caused the tail to be caught in the turbulence, making take-off difficult. To remedy this, the V5 prototype was built with fixed tricycle landing gear, and the definitive V6 was built with retractable tricycle gear.

Engine troubles continued to plague the Me 262 even after the switch to the Jumo 004. While airframe modifications were completed in 1942, a lack of engines meant that serial production did not begin until 1944.

Summary of Me 262 prototypes P.1065 V1, first prototype, initially powered by a single Jumo 210G in the nose, but later fitted with two BMW P.3302 turbojet engines. Redesignated Me 262 V1 in April 1941. P.1065 V2, second prototype, intended to be powered by BMW P.3302 engines, but fitted with Jumo 004A engines instead. Redesignated Me 262 V2 in April 1941. Me 262 V3, third prototype, first to be fitted with Jumo 004A engines. Me 262 V4, prototype with Jumo 004A engines. Me 262 V5, prototype with Jumo 004A engines and fixed tricycle landing gear. Me 262 V6, prototype for the production Me 262A with retractable tricycle landing gear and Jumo 004B-1 engines. Me 262 V7, prototype with Jumo 004A engines and a pressurized cockpit. Me 262 V8, prototype with Jumo 004A engines and four 30 mm MK 108 cannons in the nose. Later modified for use in high-speed tests as the Hochgeschwindigkeit I (HG I). Me 262 V9, prototype with Jumo 004A engines used for testing radio equipment. Me 262 V10, prototype with Jumo 004A engines with two bomb pylons under the wings and RATO gear. Me 262 V12, streamlined high-speed prototype.

Early variant drawings Messerschmitt released a report on September 11, 1943 featuring drawings of multiple proposed variants and derivatives of the production Me 262. Some of these proposals were later built in prototype form.

Jäger, main production variant. Jäger A1, fighter version, became the Me 262A-1. Jäger u.Jabo, fighter-bomber version, became the Me 262A-2. Interzeptor, variant with liquid-propellant rocket engines complementing or replacing the jet engines. Interzeptor I, with single Walter HWK RII-211 rocket engine in the tail, became the Me 262C-1. Interzeptor II, with BMW 003R combined-thrust turbojet engines with built-in BMW 109-718 rockets, became the Me 262C-2. Interzeptor III, with Walter HWK 109-509 rockets replacing the jet engines entirely, became the Me 262C-3. Schnellbomber, pure bomber variant. Schnellbomber I, similar to Jäger u.Jabo, but with guns removed and increased fuel capacity. Schnellbomber Ia, with lengthened fuselage featuring increased fuel capacity and cockpit moved to the nose. Schnellbomber II, with enlarged fuselage featuring increased fuel capacity and internal bomb load. Aufklärer, reconnaissance variant. Aufklärer I, similar to Jäger, but with guns replaced with cameras. Aufklärer Ia, similar to Schnellbomber Ia, but with cameras in the rear fuselage. Aufklärer II, similar to Schnellbomber II, but with cameras in the nose. Schulflugzeug, two-seat trainer variant, became the Me 262B-1. Panzerflugzeug, armored ground-attack variant, became the Me 262A-3. Panzerflugzeug I Panzerflugzeug II

Me 262A

Pre-production, A-0 Sixteen pre-production aircraft were ordered before the V6 prototype first flew. Delivery of these aircraft, designated Me 262A-0, were delayed by a shortage of engines. They were eventually delivered in April 1944, with an additional seven being delivered the following month for a total of 23 aircraft. The Me 262A-0s were sent to Erprobungsstelle Rechlin for evaluation. Pilots were satisfied with the Me 262's flight characteristics, and the Me 262 was ordered into full-scale production.

A-1 Schwalbe

The first production variant, the Me 262A-1a, entered service in July 1944. This variant, nicknamed Schwalbe (German: "Swallow"), was powered by two 8.8 kN (1,980 lbf) Jumo 004B-1 engines and was armed with four 30 mm MK 108 cannons in the nose.

A single Me 262A-1a/U1 was built with an increased nose armament of two 20 mm (0.787 in) MG 151 cannons, two 30 mm (1.181 in) MK 103 cannons, and two 30 mm (1.181 in) MK 108 cannons. A single night fighter prototype was built at the Me 262A-1a/U2 with FuG 220 Lichtenstein SN-2 90 MHz radar transceiver and a Hirschgeweih (stag's antlers) antenna array. The Me 262A-1a/U3 was a reconnaissance modification built in small numbers with either Rb 20/30 cameras or one Rb 20/20 and one Rb 75/30 camera. Two Me 262A-1a/U4 bomber destroyer prototypes were built with a single 50 mm (1.969 in) anti-tank gun in the nose. The /U4 was originally intended to be armed with the MK 214A cannon, but a lack of availability meant that it was fitted with a Rheinmetall BK-5 in the interim. The MK 214A was eventually fitted to the /U4 in February 1945, but the aircraft was not accepted for production. The Me 262A-1a/U5 was a heavy fighter prototype with six MK 108 cannons in the nose.

The Me 262A-1b was a modification of the A-1a with BMW 003A engines in place of the Jumo 004s. Only three such aircraft were built.

A-2 Sturmvogel

Based on the Jäger u.Jabo proposal from the September 1943 report, the Me 262A-2a, nicknamed Sturmvogel (German: "Storm Bird"), was the definitive fighter-bomber version of the Me 262. While similar to the Me 262A-1a, the A-2a featured bomb racks capable of carrying two 250 kg (550 lb) or 500 kg (1,100 lb) bombs under the fuselage, and the upper pair of guns was deleted for balance, though some aircraft retained their empty upper gun ports.

One aircraft was fitted with a TSA bombsight as the Me 262A-2a/U1. Two Me 262A-2a/U2 prototypes were built with a glazed nose for a bombardier.

A-3 The Me 262A-3a was a proposed low-level ground-attack variant of the Me 262A. Based on the Panzerflugzeug concepts from the September 1943 report, the A-3a would have had increased armor for the pilot, ammunition, air intakes, and fuel. The increased armor was expected to bring a decrease in range and performance, and no prototypes were built before the end of the war.

A-4, A-5 The Me 262A-4a was an interim unarmed reconnaissance variant of the Me 262A. It was replaced by the armed Me 262A-5a, which had two MK 108 cannons as well as drop tanks.

Rüstsätze (field modification kits)

Several Rüstsätze field modification kits were made for the Me 262. These kits, denoted by /R numbers, differed from the Umrüst-Bausätze kits (/U numbers) in that they could be fitted in the field rather than being installed in the factory. The following Rüstsätze were made for the Me 262A:

/R1, underfuselage pylon for 500 L (110.0 imp gal; 132.1 US gal) external fuel tank. /R2, RATO installation for two Rheinmetall 109-502 solid rocket engines. /R3, BMW 003R rocket boosted turbojet installation. /R4, installation of the FuG 350 Zc Naxos radar warning receiver/detector. /R5, standard 4x MK 108 cannon installation. /R6, Jabo (JagdBomber) equipment, such as bombsights and bomb racks. /R7, underwing installation of 12x R4M rockets carried on wooden racks. /R8, R110BS air-to-air rocket installation. /R9, Ruhrstahl X-4 air-to-air missile installation.

Me 262B

The need for a jet-powered trainer for the Luftwaffe led Messerschmitt to develop the dual-control Me 262B-1a. The B-1a was similar to the A-1a, but had a second seat in place of the rear fuel tank. Provisions for external fuel tanks were provided to extend the range. Only 15 B-1a trainers were built, with some being modified as Me 262B-1a/U1 night fighters. The B-1a/U1 was equipped with a FuG 218 Neptun radar and was armed with two MK 108 and two MG 151 cannons. Operationally, the radar's antenna proved to be a source of drag, but the B-1a/U1 could still outrun the de Havilland Mosquito.

The success of the Me 262B-1a/U1 led to the development of the Me 262B-2a, a dedicated night fighter. The B-2a had a stretched fuselage with increased fuel capacity and was to be armed with two upward-facing MK 108 cannons in a Schräge Musik configuration behind the cockpit. Early models were to have been fitted with a Neptun radar with "antler" antennas, but later production aircraft would have been fitted with a FuG 240 Berlin with an internal antenna. Only one prototype was built before the war ended.

Me 262C

The Me 262C home defense fighter was developed from the Interzeptor series of proposals from the September 1943 report. The first variant was the Me 262C-1a, also known as Heimatschützer I, which was developed from Interzeptor I. The C-1a was similar to the A-1a, but had a Walter HWK 109-509A-1 rocket engine housed in the tail. A single prototype was built from an A-1a, which first flew under turbojet power on October 16, 1944. The first flight under rocket power was conducted on February 27, 1945. The C-1a prototype piloted by Major Heinrich Bär reportedly intercepted and shot down a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. However, the internal mounting of the rocket engine limited internal fuel storage for the turbojets and made servicing the rocket difficult.

A single prototype of the Me 262C-2b (Heimatschützer II) was converted from an A-1a. Based on the Interzeptor II proposal, the C-2b was powered by two BMW 003R mixed-power turbojets; a combination of a BMW 003A turbojet and a BMW 109-718 rocket engine. The C-2b, piloted by Karl Baur, made its only flight in March 1945.