The aircraft had reliability problems because of strategic materials shortages and design compromises with its Junkers Jumo 004 axial-flow turbojet engines. The Me 262 proved to be an effective dogfighter against Allied fighters – German pilots claimed 542 Allied aircraft shot down, although higher claims have sometimes been made. The Allies countered by attacking the aircraft on the ground and during takeoff and landing.Īs one of the most advanced Second World War combat aircraft, the Me 262 operated as a light bomber, reconnaissance, and experimental night fighter. The Me 262 was faster and more heavily armed than any Allied fighter, including the British jet-powered Gloster Meteor. The aircraft became operational with the Luftwaffe in mid-1944. The latter wanted the Me 262 to be a ground-attack/ bomber aircraft rather than a defensive interceptor, thus necessitating a redesign. Progress was delayed by problems with engines, metallurgy and interference from people including Hermann Göring, head of the Luftwaffe, and Adolf Hitler. It made its maiden flight on 18 April 1941 with a piston engine, and its first jet-powered flight on 18 July 1942.
The design of what would become the Me 262 started in April 1939, before the Second World War. It was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. The Messerschmitt Me 262, nicknamed Schwalbe (German: " Swallow") in fighter versions, or Sturmvogel (German: " Storm Bird") in fighter-bomber versions, is a fighter aircraft and fighter-bomber that was designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt.
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