Bryce Dickson

AAE 2201 Extra Credit 2-28-14

Messerschmitt Me-262
The Messerschmitt Me-262 was the first turbojet powered fighter aircraft which saw
action in the latter stages of World War II. First designs for the Me-262 were drawn up in 1938
as interest in jet powered technology was starting to take effect in the world. Development for
the Me-262 was slowed due to high ranking German officials believing that the war could be
won with conventional aircraft. The development of the aircraft did not finally reach a
production stage until late in the war. Problems hampered the production of the aircraft,
especially with the jet engines. The BMW 003 turbojet engines were susceptible to flame out.
Initially flown with a prop piston engine the Me-262 took its first flight in 1941.
The design of the Me-262 is what made the aircraft a formidable force in the skies. The
aircraft incorporated a swept wing design. At first the wings were swept to an angle of 18.5
degrees. The wings were further swept back to move the center of mass due to the junkers 004
engines being heavier than expected. The wings were mounted low on the fuselage. The smooth
fuselage made the aircraft more aerodynamic at high speeds. After several test flights with
numerous pilots the Me-262 finally went into production thanks to Adolf Galland, who voiced
his praise of the aircraft to the Germans officials. With the war reaching a critical stage for the
Germans. German officials were desperate to find new weapons that could turn the war in their
favor. With the potential of the Me-262 finally realized the plane had the backing of the German
government.
In combat the Me-262 had an enormous performance advantage over conventional
aircraft. The plane was proven to be extremely difficult to intercept due its high speeds and high
rate of climb. Pilots, as they gained experience with the aircraft found the aircraft to be highly
maneuverable as long as pilot inputs were not too quick and not at too low of speeds which could
cause engine flame out. One feature included on the Me-262 was full span slats which greatly
increased the lift and improved maneuverability, and allowed the aircraft to take sharper turns at
much higher speeds than other aircraft. As long as Me-262s were not in slower dogfights they
could easily outmatch the allies by simply flying much faster than them. Since the Me-262 was
so fast compared to conventional aircraft, they had to alter their attack plans on bombers. Instead
of having to engage the bomber escorts in order to attack the bombers the Me-262s could easily
outrun the escorts, attack the bombers and simply fly away. Using this tactic the Luftwaffe
scored many triumphs over allied bombing formations. The Me-262 excelled in fighter to fighter
combat but do to the cannons frequently jamming the potential for was never fully satisfied in
fighter to fighter combat. The single glaring weakness for the Me-262 was the German supply
line. Allied bombing had devastated the German supply and railroads throughout the war. The
factories producing the Me-262s could never get parts in time to repair or build new aircraft.

Also, since the Me-262 had poor thrust at low speeds, the allies resorted to attacking the fighters
on the ground or when they were taking off. Of the 1,400 Me-262s produced during the final
months of the war, only about 300 ever saw actual combat.
After the war the Me-262 was quickly seized by the US and other allied powers, and
studied intensely. The Me-262 was completely reverse-engineered allowing allied powers to
design and build their own jet fighters, and set off a generation of jet fighter design. The Me-262
was an extremely influential design in the progress of aviation history and technology. If used to
its full potential by the Germans, the war in the skies could have gone very differently for the
Germans.
Specifications:
Maximum Speed:

540 mph

Cruising Speed:

460 mph

Service Ceiling:

38,000 ft

Rate of Climb:

3,940 ft/min

Range:

652 mi

Power:

2x Junkers Jumo 004B-1 Turbojet

Thrust:

1,980 lbf per engine

Wingspan:

41 ft

Length:

34 ft 9 in

Take-off Weight:

15,600 lbs

Sources:
http://www.flugzeuginfo.net/acdata_php/acdata_me262_en.php
http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/worldwariiaircraft/p/me262.htm
http://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=108
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/messerschmitt_262.htm
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=509
http://www.warbirdalley.com/me262.htm

Photos: