The Very First Fighter Jets Howls Through The Sky After 70 Years

A Fine Messerschmitt.

The Messerschmitt Me 262 earned its place in history when it became the first fully operational fighter jet. During WWII it was able to reach speeds beyond any other fighter and stood as a pillar of German engineering.

Reaching a maximum speed of 559 mph, although it still suffered from a short flight range like other German fighters. Armed with multiple cannons, rockets and bombs it could handle enemy fighters

There were faster aircraft designed by the Germans during WWII but none were perfected like the Me 262. Roughly 1,400 Me 262s were built during WWII and only about 100 were destroyed in aerial combat. Not many of them survive because the vast majority of them were captured by the Allied and Soviets after the war and dissected for research.

General Characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 10.60 m (34 ft 9 in)
• Wingspan: 12.60 m (41 ft 6 in)
• Height: 3.50 m (11 ft 6 in)
• Wing area: 21.7 m² (234 ft²)
• Empty weight: 3,795 kg[105] (8,366 lb)
• Loaded weight: 6,473 kg[105] (14,272 lb)
• Max. takeoff weight: 7,130 kg[105] (15,720 lb)
• Powerplant: 2 × Junkers Jumo 004 B-1 turbojets, 8.8 kN (1,980 lbf) each
• Aspect ratio: 7.32

Performance

• Maximum speed: 900 km/h (559 mph)
• Range: 1,050 km (652 mi)
• Service ceiling: 11,450 m (37,565 ft)
• Rate of climb: 1,200 m/min (At max weight of 7,130 kg) (3,900 ft/min)
• Thrust/weight: 0.28

Armament

• Guns: 4 × 30 mm MK 108 cannon (A-2a: two cannon)
• Rockets: 24 × 55 mm (2.2 in) R4M rockets
• Bombs: 2 × 250 kg (550 lb) bombs or 2 × 500 kg (1,100 lb) bombs (A-2a variant)

The Me 262 sacrificed itself so that other fighters could be born from its design. In this video a replica Messerschmitt Me-262 makes an impressive flight through the German hillside, 70 years later the father of all fighter jets is still impressive.