Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe (Swallow) Fighter (1944)
The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe became the world's first operational-level jet-powered fighter.
The Me 262 was a ground breaking design at a time when most every nation of power was considering the future of military aviation in terms of the turbojet. The Me 262 initially was fielded with a standard undercarriage formation but was later transformed into the more modern tricycle format. The first Schwalbe was produced with a piston engine in the nose until the jet engines could be made ready. When they were, the turbojet engines flared out on first flight, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing under the power of the piston engine.
Once better engines became available, the system was being test flown by a variety of pilots including Adolph Galland, who voiced his suggestion that the fighter go into production as soon as possible - obviously realizing its potential. Allied bombing campaigns against Me 262 production facilities (unknowingly by the Allies) delayed full production. Hitler's insistence that the fighter be made into a fighter-bomber conversion also delayed final production models. A shortage of parts, skilled labor forces and trained pilots all contributed to the aircraft never materializing as a tide-turner.
Overall, the Me 262 was a solid yet groundbreaking design, incorporated a swept-wing, low-monoplane look on a smooth fuselage. Engines were mounted under each wing and the system was armed with four 30mm cannons and could be complimented with additional air-to-air rockets. For the few units (about 300 were ever made operational) that made it to combat, the Me 262 showed its prowess particularly against Allied bomber formations. Against Allied fighters, it faired in average terms due to the some-what poor maneuverability when compared to the agile piston fighters. The 4 x 30mm cannon assembly was also prone to jamming at the most inopportune times. The Me 262 was soon found to be at its most vulnerable when still on the ground or during take off whereas its pure speed and power would enable it to be master of the skies otherwise.
Four days in March of 1945 signified the height of the Me 262 program, where up to forty sorties a day against Allied bombers was reached. Beyond that, the Me 262 never faced off against its British rival - the Gloster Meteor - jet-on-jet combat and the captured Me 262 designs would be picked apart and researched by Allied scientists at war's end. In the end, however, the research garnered from the Me 262 study would prove critical in establishing the new generation of jet-powered design. The Me 262 in any form still remains one of the most influential aircraft designs in the history of aviation and will forever be tied to the "what-if" scenarios that revolve around discussions covering the end of World War Two. Text ©2003-2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • No Reproduction Permitted
MilitaryFactory.com does NOT sell equipment/weaponry. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information. Our disclaimer. Email corrections / Comments to MilitaryFactory at Gmail dot com.
Specifications for the
Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe (Swallow)
Fighter
Country of Origin: Nazi Germany
Manufacturer: Messerschmitt - Germany
Initial Year of Service: 1944
Production: 1,400
Focus Model: Messerschmitt Me 262A-1
Crew: 1
Length: 34.78ft (10.6m)
Width: 41.01ft (12.50m)
Height: 12.47ft (3.80m)
Weight (Empty): 8,378lbs (3,800kg)
Weight (MTOW): 14,110lbs (6,400kg)
Powerplant: 2 x Junkers Jumo-004B Turbojet Engines delivering 1,984lbs of thrust.
Maximum Speed: 541mph (870kmh; 470kts)
Maximum Range: 652miles (1,050km)
Service Ceiling: 37,730ft (11,500m; 7.1miles)
Rate-of-Climb: 3,937 feet per minute (1,200m/min)
Hardpoints: 2
Armament Suite:
STANDARD:
4 x 30mm MK 108 Cannons
OPTIONAL:
External Bombload of up to 1,200lbs
Other armaments of later models included:
2 x 20mm Cannons (in addition to existing 4 x 30mm cannons)
24 x Air-to-Air Unguided High-Explosive Rockets
Variants:
Me 262 V1 - Prototype
Me 262 V2 - Prototype
Me 262 V3 - Protoype; Achieved first all-jet powered flight.
Me 262A-0 - 23 Pre-Production models built
Me 262A-1a - First Operational Status Model
Me 262A-1a/U1 - Additional 2 x 20mm cannons (in addition to the base 4 x 30mm assembly.
Me 262A-1a/U2 - "Bad Weather" Variant
Me 262A-1a/U3 - Unarmed Reconnaissance Model
Me 262A-1b - 24 x air-to-air unguided rockets added (12 under each wing).
Me 262A-2 Sturmvogel (Stormbird) - Fighter Bomber designation.
Me 262A-2a - Bomber variant capable of 1,102lb external bomb loadout.
Me 262A-2a/U2 - Two-seat bomber variant with bomber crewman fitted into prone bomb-aimer position.
Me 262A-5 - Reconnaissance Fighter
Me 262B-1a - Two-seat conversion trainer variant
Me 262B-2 - Night Fighter
Operators: Nazi Germany; Czechoslovakia
BY DECADE:
• 1900 to 1909
• 1910 to 1919
• 1920 to 1929
• 1930 to 1939
• 1940 to 1949
• 1950 to 1959
• 1960 to 1969
• 1970 to 1979
• 1980 to 1989
• 1990 to 1999
• 2000 to 2009
• 2010 to 2019
• 2020 to 2029
• VIEW ALL
• Compare Aircraft
BY TYPE:
• Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW)
• Attack Helicopters
• Bomber Aircraft
• Medium Bombers
• Heavy Bombers
• Close-Air Support (CAS)
• Commercial Aircraft
• Dive Bombers
• Electronic Warfare Aircraft (EWA)
• Experimental / X-Planes
• Fighter Aircraft
• Floatplane Aircraft
• Flying Boat Aircraft
• Aerial Refueling Tankers
• Helicopters (ALL)
• Interceptor Aircraft
• Multi-Role Aircraft
• Navy Carrier Aircraft
• Night Fighters
• Reconnaissance / Scout
• Search & Rescue (SAR)
• Scout Helicopters
• Special Purpose
• Torpedo Bombers
• Trainer Aircraft
• Transport Aircraft
• Transport Helicopters
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
• Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAVs)
COLLECTIONS:
• 4th Generation Fighter Aircraft
• 5th Generation Fighter Aircraft
• US X-Planes
• Classic US Warbirds
• French Military Helicopters
• Grumman "Cats"
• Howard Hughes Aircraft
• Indian Air Force
• Israeli Air Force
• Libyan Aircraft
• Modern Chinese Aircraft
• Modern Chinese Fighters
• Modern Military Aircraft
• Modern North Korean Aircraft
• Modern Trainer Aircraft
• Modern US Aircraft
• Mikoyan Aircraft
• Sukhoi Aircraft
• Syrian Aircraft
• Top 10 Fighter Aircraft of All Time
AIRCRAFT BY CONFLICT:
• Arab-Israeli War (1948)
• Cuban Missile Crisis (1959-1962)
• Falklands War (1982)
• Indo-Pak War (1965, 1971)
• Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)
• Lebanon War (1982)
• Operation Allied Force (1999)
• Operation Desert Storm (1991)
• Six Day War (1967)
• Spanish Civil War (1936)
• Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989)
• Yom Kippur War (1973)
MISCELLANEOUS:
• Aircraft Cockpits
• Aircraft Manufacturers List
• Aircraft Timeline
WORLD WAR 2:
• 1939 Aircraft
• 1940 Aircraft
• 1941 Aircraft
• 1942 Aircraft
• 1943 Aircraft
• 1944 Aircraft
• 1945 Aircraft
• 1946 Aircraft
• Australian Aircraft
• Battle of Britain Aircraft
• Bombers
• Four-Engine Bombers
• British Aircraft
• British Bombers
• British Transports
• Dive Bombers
• Canadian Aircraft
• Fighters
• Chinese Aircraft
• French Aircraft
• German Aircraft
• German Fighters
• German Flying Boats
• German Jets
• Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe
• Italian Aircraft
• Imperial Japanese Aircraft
• Imperial Japanese Fighters
• Mitsubishi Bombers
• Navy Aircraft
• Pearl Harbor
• Polish Aircraft
• Romanian Aircraft
• US Aircraft
• US Bombers
• US Navy Aircraft
• Soviet Aircraft
• Torpedo Bombers
• Trainer Aircraft
• Transport Aircraft
• Tuskegee Airmen Aircraft
• W.A.S.P. Aircraft
• WW2 Aircraft Ranked by Speed
• VIEW ALL
WORLD WAR 1:
• 1914 Aircraft
• 1915 Aircraft
• 1916 Aircraft
• 1917 Aircraft
• 1918 Aircraft
• Aircraft Timeline
• Austro-Hungarian Aircraft
• Bomber Aircraft
• British Aircraft
• Fighters
• Flying Boats
• French Aircraft
• Imperial German Aircraft
• Italian Aircraft
• Scout Aircraft
• Russian Empire Aircraft
• US Aircraft
• WW1 Aircraft Ranked by Speed
• VIEW ALL
KOREAN WAR:
• Australian Aircraft
• Korean War Aces
• Korean War Jets
• North Korean Aircraft
• US Military Aircraft
• VIEW ALL
VIETNAM WAR:
• Helicopters
• North Vietnam Air Force
• US Airpower
• VIEW ALL
COLD WAR:
• 1950s French Aircraft
• British V-Bombers
• Cold War Bombers
• Soviet Aircraft
• Soviet Bombers
• Soviet Interceptors
• Soviet Helicopters
• Strategic Air Command
• US Aircraft
• US Bombers
• US Interceptors
• VIEW ALL
©2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • Content ©2003-2013 MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Site Contact Email: militaryfactory at gmail dot com. The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® trademarks and protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws.
Top MF Stuff: 2013 Military Pay Scale | Military Ranks | WW2 Weapons | Sniper Rifles | Kts to Mph | WW1 Aircraft | Automatic Rifles | Aircraft Cockpits | Vietnam War Weapons | Main Battle Tanks | Submachine Guns | Shotguns | French Military Victories
Most photographic images appearing on this site are courtesy of the United States Department of Defense and are approved for public use. Other images acquired through the public domain. Digital art work courtesy of Dan Alex. Business Consulting by Kyle Williams. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information.
