Messerschmitt Me 262

The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe ("Swallow") was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. It was produced in World War II and saw action starting in 1944 as a multi-role fighter/bomber/reconnaissance/interceptor warplane for the Luftwaffe. The Me 262 claimed a total of 509 Allied kills (although higher claims are sometimes made) against the loss of about 100 Me 262s. Considered the most advanced German aviation design in opera... more

The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe ("Swallow") was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. It was produced in World War II and saw action starting in 1944 as a multi-role fighter/bomber/reconnaissance/interceptor warplane for the Luftwaffe. The Me 262 claimed a total of 509 Allied kills (although higher claims are sometimes made) against the loss of about 100 Me 262s. Considered the most advanced German aviation design in operational use and according to some Allied historians it was an aircraft that might have won air supremacy back to the Luftwaffe, it had a negligible impact on the course of the war due to its late introduction and the small numbers in service. The Me 262 influenced the designs of post-war aircraft such as the North American F-86 and Boeing B-47. The Me 262 was already being developed as Projekt P.1065 before the start of World War II. Plans were first drawn up in April 1939, and the original design was very similar to the plane that eventually... less