Messerschmitt Me 262
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Me 262 Schwalbe | |
---|---|
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[1] |
Introduction | April 1944[2][3] |
Retired | 1945, Germany 1951, Czechoslovakia[4] |
Primary users | Luftwaffe Czechoslovak Air Force (S-92) |
Number built | 1,430 |
Me 262 pilots claimed a total of 542 Allied kills[8] 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.[9]
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.[7] 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.
Ingen kommentarer:
Legg inn en kommentar
Merk: Bare medlemmer av denne bloggen kan legge inn en kommentar.