Messerschmitt Me 309

Fighter Prototype Aircraft

Nazi Germany | 1942

"The Messerschmitt Me 309 was intended as a direct successor to the famous Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter series - it failed to unseat the classic design."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 09/16/2016 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The Messerschmitt Me 309 was one of two fighters (joining the later Me 209-II) developed by the German concern during World War 2 as a successor to the storied Messerschmitt Bf 109. The Bf 109 was introduced to Luftwaffe forces in 1937 and formed the spearhead of all German air actions throughout the war into 1945, being produced in the tens of thousands. The aircraft - a modern single-engined, single-seat monoplane fighter - was then joined by the equally excellent Focke-Wulf Fw 190 of 1941. Together, these two fighters gave German air corps a distinct edge in almost any air battle until matched pound-for-pound by the likes of newer and decidedly evolved Allied offerings.

While the German Air Ministry was already satisfied with their Bf 109, Messerschmitt engineers forged ahead with an in-house venture to provide a much-improved form of their aircraft - the new design under the designation of "Me 309". The aircraft would exhibit well-streamlined fuselage containing the engine in a forward compartment, the cockpit at center and a tapered rear with conventional single-rudder arrangement sporting a pair of horizontal planes. Wings were low-mounted, straight with curved tips and set just ahead of amidships. The canopy housed a single pilot under a heavily-framed assembly with adequate views about the aircraft (consistent with the period). The canopy was hinged to open over the right side, entry via the left. No raised fuselage spin meant that a panel of window could added aft of the pilot with good views to the rear. The powerplant of choice became the Daimler-Benx DB 603G series 12-cylinder liquid-cooled inline piston engine of 1,726 horsepower driving a three-bladed propeller assembly. Armament of 2 x 15mm MG 151 cannon and 2 x 13mm MG 131 machine guns would be concentrated in the leading edge of the wing roots. A scoop featured under the fuselage gave the aircraft a distinct, "deep" appearance akin to the North American P-51 Mustang. To contend with high-altitude work, engineers designed the Me309 with a pressurized cockpit from the outset.

One of the more distinct features of the Me 309 aircraft was its use of a tricycle landing gear arrangement at a time when the accepted norm proved to be "tail-dragger" types (the Bell P-39 Airacobra and Lockheed P-38 Lightning were two notable wartime fighters to feature a tricycle arrangement). The undercarriage consisted of two single-wheeled landing gear legs and a single-wheeled nose leg. The main legs retracted inwards towards centerline under each wing while the nose leg utilized a more complicated 90-degree turning retraction scheme.

To keep costs in check, the Me 309 had her more specialized systems trialed on existing Messerschmitt airframes to prove viability. Eventually, these key systems were pressed into her all-new fuselage design and a prototype airframe was completed in early 1942. However, persistent mechanical issues with the complex nose landing gear leg delayed the Me 309's maiden flight until July 18th, 1942. Testing proved the aircraft sound in handling though its overall performance was only marginally better, and this under light testing loads, when compared to the standard frontline Bf 109G models of the time.

With lackluster government support on the program, the Me 309 moved slowly and ultimately languished under the stresses of wartime (resources and talent redirected to priority requirements). With the Bf 109 and Fw 190 series more than enough for the German Air Ministry to focus their fighter groups on, the Me 309 never proved a serious competitor as a replacement option. As such, the program resulted in just four completed prototypes before cancellation.

The Me 209-II proposal of 1943, borrowing more of the existing Bf 109 as a cost-effective gesture, joined the Me 309 by falling to the pages of history with only four prototypes of its own completed before cancellation. Once again, the prototype's performance proved no better than the aircraft it was intended to replace.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Messerschmitt Me 309 Fighter Prototype Aircraft.

1 x Daimler-Benz DB 603G inverted V12 liquid-cooled inline piston engine developing 1,726 horsepower.
Propulsion

455 mph
733 kph | 396 kts
Max Speed

39,370 ft
12,000 m | 7 miles
Service Ceiling

684 miles
1,100 km | 594 nm
Operational Range

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Messerschmitt Me 309 Fighter Prototype Aircraft.

1
(MANNED)
Crew

31.0 ft
9.46 m
O/A Length

36.1 ft
(11.00 m)
O/A Width

12.8 ft
(3.90 m)
O/A Height

7,716 lb
(3,500 kg)
Empty Weight

9,370 lb
(4,250 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Messerschmitt Me 309 Fighter Prototype Aircraft .

STANDARD:
2 x 14mm MG 151 cannons in wings
2 x 13mm MG 131 heavy machine guns in wings

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Messerschmitt Me 309 family line.

Me 309 - Base Series Designation

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Messerschmitt Me 309. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 4 Units
Contractor(s): Messerschmitt - Nazi Germany

[ Nazi Germany (cancelled) ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 500mph

Lo: 250mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (455mph).

Graph Average of 375 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

4

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

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Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

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Image from the Public Domain.

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT

X-PLANE

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Going Further...
The Messerschmitt Me 309 Fighter Prototype Aircraft appears in the following collections:

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