Messerschmitt Me 263 (Junkers Ju 248)

History

The

Messerschmitt Me 163 "Komet" rocket-powered interceptor was a nasty surprise for Allied bomber crews and fighter pilots when it first entered service in May 1944. About 370 examples of this type were built during the war, but the interceptor proved to have too many limitationsboth in the operational capabilities of the design or in German logisticsto affect the outcome of the war.

The performance was excellent and the armament was impressive, but the plane had an unstable fuel mixture (dangerous to both the pilot and the plane) and only operated for a few minutes before being forced to glide to land. The series claims fewer than twenty Allied aircraft engaged in the war.

Taking advantage of the Me 163 and implementing a new airframe design was the next logical step for the Messerschmitt product. The work would be based on the production model Me 163B, transferred to bomber manufacturer Junkers in late summer 1944 under the name Ju 248 "Flunder" (Flounder) - even though Messerschmitt was still working on the Me 163C model.

The redesigned Ju 248 retains some of the qualities of the Me 163, such as the bubble canopy, the main aircraft with swept wings, and the tail with fins (no horizontal stabilizers), but the aircraft is given more The large dimensions allow for more interior space to increase space - allowing engineers to install additional fuel supplies and increase the interceptor's operational range/fighting time. Unlike the Me 163's disposable trolley undercarriage, the Ju 248 has a fairly modern fully retractable tricycle undercarriage, which proved its worth in the Me 163B V18 prototype.

The main-wing aircraft is made of wood (although additional fuel storage is built in), and the cockpit is fully pressurized for high altitude flight.

Propulsion is proposed internally using a single Walter HWK 509C (dual-fuel) series rocket engine with 4,410 pounds of main thrust and an additional 882 pounds of auxiliary thrust from the two available chambers. The production-quality interceptor will be equipped with a BMW 109-708 series rocket engine, which promises more power.

The fuel is still an unstable combination of "T-Stoff" and "C-Stoff".

Armament includes 2 x 30mm MK 108 high powered automatic cannons, very capable of shooting down large Allied bombers destroying German war facilities and infrastructure.

On September 25, 1944, the aircraft was shown to RLM officials in the form of a wooden model, followed by another review in December of the same year. Before the end of the year, the original Ju 248 name was replaced by the revised Me 263 "Schollen" name - although Junkers still led the design and development of the project.

The Me 263 V1 will be the first of three prototypes (V1, V2 and V3) during development.

By 1945, with so much work targeting Germany, the leadership was mixed about the potential benefits of the Me 263 program, with some advocating efforts and others calling for cessation. Still, the V1 made a powerless maiden flight when it was towed into the sky in February of this year.

The aircraft had no engines and no weapons, and its tricycle landing gear was simple in structure and fixed for convenience. Overall, the design proved solid, although balancing was forced when the aircraft proved to have inherent center-of-gravity issues.

Testing was subsequently halted due to lack of fuel for the tow aircraft, and after construction it was found that the hulls of the V1 and V2 were insufficiently equipped to accommodate the expected HWK 509C rocket engines. As a result, this forced the fuselage to lengthen. When the Allies captured Me 263 in April 1944, V1, V2 and V3 progressed through various stages of the project. The V2 never received its fully retractable landing gear, nor was the V3 ever intended to prove a cannon weapon. Both V1 and V2 just had their engines installed, but neither could start them during testing.

The Americans extensively studied the progress of the Me 263 in the United States, while the Soviets benefited from the dismantling of one of the prototypes - which led to the development of home-made Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270 interceptor prototypes, two of which were in the postwar period.

Performance estimates for the Me 263 V1 Interceptor include an impressive top speed of 550 mph, an operational service ceiling of 45,215 feet (requiring a pilot's pressurized cockpit and oxygen supply), and an excellent 29,500 ft/min rate of climb.

Specification

Basic

Production

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Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes