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Messerschmitt Me 262

Me 262 Schwalbe
Messerschmitt Me 262A at the National Museum of the USAF.jpg
Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1a late production model
Role Fighter aircraft and fighter-bomber
Manufacturer Messerschmitt
First flight 18 April 1941 with piston engine
18 July 1942 with jet engines
Introduction April 1944
Retired 1945, Germany
1951, Czechoslovakia
Primary users Luftwaffe
Czechoslovak Air Force (S-92)
Number built 1,430
External video
Me 262 V3 takeoff
Me 262 Project reproduction flying at ILA 2006 airshow in Berlin

The Messerschmitt Me 262, nicknamed Schwalbe (German: "Swallow") in fighter versions, or Sturmvogel (German: "Storm Bird") in fighter-bomber versions, was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. 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 Me 262 was faster and more heavily armed than any Allied fighter, including the British jet-powered Gloster Meteor. 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.

Me 262 pilots claimed a total of 542 Allied kills The Allies countered its potential effectiveness in the air by attacking the aircraft on the ground and during takeoff and landing. Engine reliability problems, from the pioneering nature of its Junkers Jumo 004 axial-flow turbojet engines—the first ever placed in mass production—and attacks by Allied forces on fuel supplies during the deteriorating late-war situation also reduced the effectiveness of the aircraft as a fighting force. 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.

While German use of the aircraft ended with the close of the Second World War, a small number were operated by the Czechoslovak Air Force until 1951. Captured Me 262s were studied and flight tested by the major powers, and ultimately influenced the designs of a number of post-war aircraft such as the North American F-86 Sabre and Boeing B-47 Stratojet. A number of aircraft have survived on static display in museums, and there have also been several privately built flying reproductions that use the modern J-85 jet engine.


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