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{{infobox Aircraft]| image = Image:Me 163B-0.jpg|300px| caption =| designer =| first flight = Me 163 A V1 in early 1941 as glider
in August with engine
Me 163 B in 1943]| more users =| produced =| number built =| unit cost =| variants with their own articles =-->The Me 163 Komet, designed by Alexander Martin Lippisch, was the only operational rocket plane fighter aircraft during the World War II. Although revolutionary and capable of performance unrivalled at the time, it proved dangerous to operate and resulted in the destruction of very few Allied aircraft.

Development Work on the design started under the aegis of the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS) — the German Institute for the Study of sailplane flight. Their first design was a conversion of the earlier Lippisch Delta IV known as the DFS 39 and used purely as a glider testbed of the airframe.

A larger follow-on version with a small propeller engine started as the DFS 194. This version used wingtip-mounted rudders, which Lippisch felt would cause problems at high speed, and he later redesigned them to be mounted on a conventional vertical stabilizer at the rear of the aircraft. The design included a number of features from its glider heritage, notably a skid used for landings, which could be retracted into the aircraft's keel in flight. For takeoff, a pair of wheels, each mounted onto the ends of a specially designed cross-axle, together comprising a takeoff "dolly" mounted under the landing skid, were needed due to the weight of the fuel, but these were released shortly after takeoff. It was planned to move to the Walter R-1-203 cold engine of 400 kg (882 lbf) thrust when available.

Heinkel had also been working with Walter on his rocket engines, mounting them in the Heinkel He 112 for testing, and later the first purpose-designed rocket aircraft, the Heinkel He 176. Heinkel had also been selected to produce the fuselage for the DFS 194 when it entered production, as it was felt that the highly volatile fuel would be too dangerous in a wooden fuselage, with which it could react. Work continued under the code name Project X.

However the division of work between DFS and Heinkel led to problems, notably that DFS seemed incapable of building even a prototype fuselage. Lippisch eventually requested to leave DFS and join Messerschmitt instead. On January 2 1939 he moved along with his team and the partially completed DFS 194 to the Messerschmitt works at Augsburg.

The delays caused by this move allowed the engine development to "catch up", and once at Messerschmitt the decision was made to skip over the propeller-powered version and move directly to rocket power. The airframe was completed in Augsburg and shipped to Peenemünde West in early 1940 to receive its engine. Although the engine proved to be extremely unreliable, the aircraft had excellent performance, reaching a speed of 342 mph in one test.

Me 163 A Production of a prototype series started in early 1941, known as the Me 163. Secrecy was such that the number, 163, was actually that of the earlier Messerschmitt Bf 163 project to produce a small two-passenger light plane, which had competed against the Fieseler Fi 156 Storch for a production contract, as it was thought that intelligence services would conclude any reference to the number would be for that earlier design. Me 163 A V1 was shipped to Peenemünde to receive an updated engine, and on October 2 1941, a successor aircraft, the Me 163 A V3, bearing the radio call sign letters, or Stammkennzeichen, "CD+IM", set a new air speed record of 1,004.5 km/h (623.8 mph). This would not be officially approached until the post-war period by the new jet fighters of the British and US, and was not surpassed until the American Douglas Skystreak turbojet-powered research aircraft did so on August 20 1947. Five prototype Me 163 Anton A-series experimental V-aircraft were built, adding to the original DFS 194, followed by eight pre-production examples designated Me 163 A-0.

During testing the jettisonable main landing gear arrangement proved to be a serious problem and caused many planes to be damaged at take-off when the wheels rebounded and crashed into the plane. Malfunctioning hydraulic dampers in the skid could lead to back injuries for the pilot on landing , and the airplane lacked steering or braking control during the landing run, leaving the pilot unable to avoid obstacles. Once on the ground, it had to be retrieved by a specialized tractor-like vehicle, the three-wheeled Scheuschlepper, as the Komet was unpowered and lacked wheels at this point.

During flight testing, the superior gliding capability of the swept-wing Komet proved detrimental to safe landing. The plane would rise back into the air with the slightest updraft. Since the approach was made unpowered, there was no opportunity to make another landing pass if the plane failed to stop at the proper airfield. For production models, a set of landing flaps allowed somewhat more controlled landings. This issue remained a problem throughout the program, however.

Nevertheless the performance was tremendous and plans were made to put Me 163 squadrons all over Germany in 25 mile (40 km) rings. Development of an operational version was given the highest priority.

Me 163 B Meanwhile Walter had started work on the newer HWK 109-509 hot engine, using a hypergolic fuel formula, which added a true fuel of hydrazine and methanol, designated 'C-Stoff, that burned with the oxygen-rich exhaust from the T-Stoff, used as the oxidizer, for added thrust. (See List of Stoffs.) This resulted in the significantly modified Me 163 B of late 1941. Due to the Reichsluftfahrtministerium requirement that it should be possible to throttle the engine, the originally simple power plant grew complicated and lost reliability. The new fuel proved an unfortunate choice as well, since hydrazine was also used in the launcher of the V-1 "Doodlebug" flying bomb and was in short supply throughout the 1943-45 period.

The fuel system was particularly troublesome, as leaks experienced during hard landings easily degenerated in fires and explosions. Metal fuel lines and fittings, which failed in unpredictable ways, were used as this was the best technology available. Both fuel and oxidizer were toxic and required extreme care when loading in the airframe -- yet there were still occasions when Komets simply exploded on the tarmac. The corrosive nature of the liquids also mandated special protective gear for the pilots.

Two prototypes were followed by thirty Me 163 B-0 aircraft armed with two MG 151/20 cannon and some four hundred Me 163 B-1s armed with two MK 108 cannon, but which were otherwise similar to the B-0. Occasional references to B-1a or Ba-1 subtypes are found in the literature on the aircraft, but the meanings of these designations are somewhat unclear. Early in the war the a was added to export (ausland) variants (B-1a) or to foreign-built variants (Ba-1) but there were neither export nor a foreign-built versions. Later in the war the a was used for planes using different engine types (Me 262 A-1a with Jumo engines, A-1b with BMW engines). As the Me 163 was planned with an alternative BMW P3330A rocket engine it's quite safe to assume the a was used for this purpose on early examples. Only one Me 163, the V10, was tested with the BMW engine so this designation suffix was soon dropped.

The performance of the Me 163 far exceeded that of contemporary piston engine fighters. After take-off from a two-wheeled dolly, it would be travelling at over 200 mph (320 km/h) at the end of the runway, at which point it would pull up into an 80-degree angle of climb, jettison the dolly, and rapidly climb to the bombers' altitude. It could go even higher if need be, reaching 40,000 ft (12,000 m) in an unheard-of three minutes. Once there, it would level off and quickly accelerate to speeds around 550 mph (880 km/h) or faster, which no Allied plane could hope to match. The Me 163 was a highly efficient glider by necessity, and it suffered from serious compressibility problems and became impossible to control at times when at full speed (especially in a powered dive). This was disconcerting to pilots, as it is a phenomenon rarely encountered in piston-engined aircraft.

By this point Messerschmitt was completely overloaded with production of the Bf 109 and attempts to bring the Messerschmitt Me 210 into service. Production in a dispersed network was handed over to Klemm, but quality control problems were such that the work was later given to Junkers, who was at that time underworked. As with many German designs of WWII, parts of the airframe (esp. wings) were made of wood, which allowed furniture manufacturers to act as subcontractors.

For training purposes it was planned to introduce the Me 163 S, which removed the rocket engine and tank capacity and placed a second seat for the instructor behind the pilot. The 163 S would be used for glider landing training, which proved to be a serious problem in practice. It appears the 163 S's were converted from the earlier 163A series prototypes.

In service the MK 108's low muzzle-velocity proved to be a serious problem. The Komet traveled so fast that it was almost impossible to hit a slow-moving bomber with the two cannons (three hits were typically needed to take down a B-17 Flying Fortress). A number of innovative solutions were implemented to ensure kills by less experienced pilots, the most promising was a unique weapon called the Sondergerät 500 Jägerfaust. This consisted of a series of single-shot short-barreled 50-mm guns pointing upwards. Five were mounted in the wing roots on each side of the aircraft. The trigger was tied to a photocell in the upper surface of the aircraft, and when the Komet flew under the bomber, the resulting change in brightness caused by the underside of the aircraft could cause the rounds to be fired. As each shell shot upwards, the disposable gun barrel that fired it was ejected downwards, thus making the weapon Recoilless rifle. It appears that this weapon was used in combat only once, resulting in the destruction of a Handley Page Halifax bomber, though other sources say it was a Boeing B-17Ethel and Price 1979, p. 133-135.Ethell 1978, p. 140.

Later versions Another major concern about the design was the short flight time, which never met the projections made by Walter. With only eight minutes of powered flight, the plane truly was a dedicated point defense interceptor aircraft. In order to improve on this, work started on the development of an engine with two separate combustion chambers, oriented one above the other, with the upper one tuned for "high power" for takeoff and climb, the lower chamber with approximately 400 kg (880 lb) of thrust at its top performance level, for efficient lower-power cruise. This HWK 109-509.C would improve endurance by as much as 50%. Two 163 Bs, V6 and V18, were experimentally fitted with the new engine and tested in 1944. July 2 1944 the Me 163 B V18 set a new world speed record of 1,130 km/h (702 mph), piloted by Heini Dittmar.

Waldemar Voigt of Messerschmitt's Oberammergau offices started a redesign of the 163 to incorporate the new engine, as well as fix other problems. The resulting Me 163 C design featured a larger wing through the addition of an insert at the wing root, an extended fuselage with extra tank capacity through the addition of a "plug" insert behind the wing, and a new pressurized cockpit topped with a bubble canopy giving dramatically improved visibility. The additional tank capacity and cockpit pressurization allowed the maximum altitude to increase to 52,000 feet, as well as improving powered time to about twelve minutes, almost doubling combat time (from about five minutes to nine). Three prototypes were planned, but it appears only one was flown, and that without its intended engine.Green 1970, p. 604.

Meanwhile, another redesign was taking form as the Me 163 D, which retained the original overall design of the 163 B, but included the fuselage plug for increased tank capacity and discarded the takeoff "dolly" and landing skid for a proper, retractable tricycle undercarriage. Work on this version was "farmed out" to Focke Achgelis, who produced a single prototype in early 1944.Green 1971, p. 111-112.

But by this time it appears that Willy Messerschmitt had tired of the entire project, and moved all work on the advanced models to Junkers. Here a new design effort under the direction of Heinrich Hertel at Dessau attempted to combine the 163 C's advanced features with the landing gear from the 163 D. The resulting Junkers Ju 248 used a three-section fuselage to ease construction. The V1 prototype was completed for testing in August 1944, and was glider tested behind a Junkers Ju 188. Apparently the Walter 109-509.C engine was fitted in September, but it is not clear if it was ever tested under this power. At this point the RLM re-assigned the project to Messerschmitt, where it became the Me 263. This appears to have been a formality only, with Junkers continuing the work and planned productionGreen 1971, p. 112-114..

However, by the time the design was ready to go into production, after many delays, the plant it was to be made at was overrun by Soviet Union forces. While it did not reach operational status, the work was briefly continued by the Russia Mikoyan-Gurevich (MiG) design bureau as the Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270Green 1971, p. 150-151..

Operations Operations began in 1944. As expected, the plane was extremely fast, and for a time the Allied fighters were at a complete loss as what to do about it. Singly or in pairs, the Komets attacked the bomber formations, often faster than the opposing fighters could dive in an attempt to intercept them. A typical Me 163 tactic was to zoom through the bomber formations at 30,000 ft (9,000 m), up to an altitude of 35,000–40,000 ft (10,700–12,000 m), then dive down through the formation again. With luck, this would afford the pilot two brief chances to fire off a few rounds from his cannons before he had to glide back to his airfield.

As the cockpit was unpressurized, the operational ceiling was limited by what the pilot could endure for several minutes while breathing oxygen from a mask, without losing consciousness. Pilots underwent altitude chamber training to harden them against the rigors of operating in the thin air of the stratosphere without a pressure suit. Test pilots were able to arrange several skiing vacations on the pretext of altitude training. Special low-fiber diets also had to be prepared for pilots as any gas in the gastrointestinal tract would expand rapidly as the aircraft rocketed toward the high-flying bomber formations.

One fighter wing, Jagdgeschwader 400 (J.G. 400 also JG400), commanded by Major Wolfgang Späte, was equipped with the craft in two groups, with the mission of defending synthetic fuel installations during May 1944. First actions occurred at the end of July, attacking two USAAF B-17 Flying Fortress bombers without confirmed kills and continuing in combat from May 1944 to spring 1945. During this time, there were nine confirmed kills with 14 lost. Feldwebel Siegfried Schubert was the most successful pilot with three four-engine-bombers to his credit.Späte, p. XII.

Allied fighter pilots quickly noted the short lifetime of the powered flight. They would wait it out, and as soon as the engine went dead they would pounce on the unpowered, gliding Komet. They also quickly identified the fields the planes operated from and started strafing them after the Me 163s landedEthell 1978, p. 94-144.. More of the planes were being lost than pilots could be trained on them, and it was clear that the original plan for a huge network of Me 163 bases was never going to happen.

In any operational sense the Komet was a failure. More were lost to landing accidentsEthel 1978, p. 150-151. than they ever accounted for in bomber kills, which stand at only 16. Due to fuel shortages late in the war, very few actually went into combat, and it took an experienced pilot with excellent shooting skills to achieve "kills" with the Me-163. At the same time the Komet was a remarkable design that pointed the way to the future. It was one more piece of strong evidence that the day of the propeller fighter was over, and it also spawned later weapons like the Bachem Ba 349 Natter and Convair XF-92. Ultimately, the point defense role that the Me 163 played would be taken over by the surface-to-air missile (SAM), Messerschmitt's own example being the Enzian. The airframe designer, Alexander Martin Lippisch went on to design delta-winged supersonic aircraft for the Convair Corporation.

Surviving aircraft It has been claimed that at least 29 "Komets" were shipped out of Gernmany after the war and that of those at least ten have been known to survive the warEthell 1978, p. 157-158. to be put on display in musea around the world.Most of the ten surviving Me 163s were part of the special Luftwaffe rocket fighter wing known as Jagdgeschwader 400 (JG400), and were captured by the British at Husum (Schleswig), the squadron's base at the time of Germany's surrender in 1945.

United States





United Kingdom





Germany at the Luftwaffenmuseum in Berlin-Gatow



Canada Werkenummer 19116 and 191095 also seem to have been held at one time in this museum.Ethell 1978, p. 158.

Australia

Japanese versions As part of their alliance, Germany provided the Japanese Empire with plans and an example of the Me 163Ethell 1978, p. 155-157.. The Japanese versions were designed as Trainer (aircraft), Fighter aircraft, and interceptor aircraft. Differences between the versions were fairly minor. The Mitsubishi Ki-200 Shusui ("Shu" means "autumn", "sui" means "water" in Japanese) was the equivalent of the 163 B, armed with two 30 mm Ho 155-II cannon. The Navy version, the Mitsubishi J8M Shusui, simply replaced the Ho 155 cannon with the Navy's 30 mm Type 5.

Mitsubishi also planned on producing a version of the 163 C for the Navy, known as the J8M2 Shusui Model 21. A version of the 163 D/263 was known as the J8M3 Shusui for the Navy with the Type 5 cannon, and Ki-202 Shusui-kai ("kai" means "modified" in Japanese) with the Ho 155-II for the Army.

Trainers were planned, roughly the equivalent of the Me 163 A-0/S. These were known as the Yokoi Ku-13 Akigusa ("Aki" means also "autumn" and "gusa (kusa)" means "grass" in Japanese) or Ki-200 Syusui Rocket Interceptor practice glider.

Other trainer variants included:

Replicas A flying replica Me 163 was constructed between 1994 and 1996 by Joseph Kurtz, a former Luftwaffe pilot who trained to fly Me 163's but who never flew in combat. He subsequently sold the aircraft to [EADS. The replica is an unpowered glider whos shape closely matches that of an Me 163, although its weight and internal construction differ considerably. Reportedly, it has excellent flying characteristics.

XCOR Aerospace, an aerospace and rocketry company, proposed a rocket powered replica. Although outwardly the same as a wartime aircraft, the design would have differed considerably for safety reasons. It would have been powered by a simpler and safer, pressure fed, liquid oxygen/alcohol engine and retractable undercarriage would have been used instead of a take-off trolley and landing skid. The project is no longer discussed on the company's website and it appears work has ceased on this project, possibly due to lack of commercial interest.

Several static replica aircraft are exhibited in museums.

Specifications (Me 163 B-1) {{aircraft specifications||plane or copter?=plane|jet or prop?=jet|crew=1|length main=5.70 m|length alt=18 ft 8 in|span main=9.33 m|span alt=30 ft 7 in|height main=2.75 m|height alt=9 ft 0 in|area main=18.5 m²|area alt=200 ft²|empty weight main=1,905 kg|empty weight alt=4,200 lb|loaded weight main=3,950 kg|loaded weight alt=8,710 lb|max takeoff weight main=4,310 kg|max takeoff weight alt=9,500 lb|engine (jet)=Walter HWK 109-509A-2|type of jet=liquid-fuel rocket|number of jets=1|thrust main=17 kN|thrust alt=3,800 lbf|max speed main=960 km/h (Mach 0.73)|max speed alt=596 mph)
  • Duration of flight: 8 minutes|range main=40 km|range alt=25 miles|ceiling main=12,100 m|ceiling alt=39,700 ft|climb rate main=3,666 m/min|climb rate alt=11,730 ft/min|loading main=213 kg/m²|loading alt=43 lb/ft²|thrust/weight=0.42|armament= -->

    References

    External links

    Related content {{aircontent||related=DFS-39 -DFS-194 -Messerschmitt Me 263 -Mitsubishi J8M -Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270

    ] -Bachem Ba 349

    ] -Messerschmitt Bf 162 -Heinkel He 162 -Messerschmitt Bf 163 -Me 163 -Messerschmitt Me 164 -Kiel FK 166 -Fieseler Fi 166

    |lists=List of military aircraft of Germany -List of fighter aircraft -List of military aircraft of Germany during World War II -List of rocket planes-->

    {{infobox Aircraft]| image = Image:Me 163B-0.jpg|300px| caption =| designer =| first flight = Me 163 A V1 in early 1941 as glider
    in August with engine
    Me 163 B in 1943]| more users =| produced =| number built =| unit cost =| variants with their own articles =-->The Me 163 Komet, designed by Alexander Martin Lippisch, was the only operational rocket plane fighter aircraft during the World War II. Although revolutionary and capable of performance unrivalled at the time, it proved dangerous to operate and resulted in the destruction of very few Allied aircraft.

    Development Work on the design started under the aegis of the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS) — the German Institute for the Study of sailplane flight. Their first design was a conversion of the earlier Lippisch Delta IV known as the DFS 39 and used purely as a glider testbed of the airframe.

    A larger follow-on version with a small propeller engine started as the DFS 194. This version used wingtip-mounted rudders, which Lippisch felt would cause problems at high speed, and he later redesigned them to be mounted on a conventional vertical stabilizer at the rear of the aircraft. The design included a number of features from its glider heritage, notably a skid used for landings, which could be retracted into the aircraft's keel in flight. For takeoff, a pair of wheels, each mounted onto the ends of a specially designed cross-axle, together comprising a takeoff "dolly" mounted under the landing skid, were needed due to the weight of the fuel, but these were released shortly after takeoff. It was planned to move to the Walter R-1-203 cold engine of 400 kg (882 lbf) thrust when available.

    Heinkel had also been working with Walter on his rocket engines, mounting them in the Heinkel He 112 for testing, and later the first purpose-designed rocket aircraft, the Heinkel He 176. Heinkel had also been selected to produce the fuselage for the DFS 194 when it entered production, as it was felt that the highly volatile fuel would be too dangerous in a wooden fuselage, with which it could react. Work continued under the code name Project X.

    However the division of work between DFS and Heinkel led to problems, notably that DFS seemed incapable of building even a prototype fuselage. Lippisch eventually requested to leave DFS and join Messerschmitt instead. On January 2 1939 he moved along with his team and the partially completed DFS 194 to the Messerschmitt works at Augsburg.

    The delays caused by this move allowed the engine development to "catch up", and once at Messerschmitt the decision was made to skip over the propeller-powered version and move directly to rocket power. The airframe was completed in Augsburg and shipped to Peenemünde West in early 1940 to receive its engine. Although the engine proved to be extremely unreliable, the aircraft had excellent performance, reaching a speed of 342 mph in one test.

    Me 163 A Production of a prototype series started in early 1941, known as the Me 163. Secrecy was such that the number, 163, was actually that of the earlier Messerschmitt Bf 163 project to produce a small two-passenger light plane, which had competed against the Fieseler Fi 156 Storch for a production contract, as it was thought that intelligence services would conclude any reference to the number would be for that earlier design. Me 163 A V1 was shipped to Peenemünde to receive an updated engine, and on October 2 1941, a successor aircraft, the Me 163 A V3, bearing the radio call sign letters, or Stammkennzeichen, "CD+IM", set a new air speed record of 1,004.5 km/h (623.8 mph). This would not be officially approached until the post-war period by the new jet fighters of the British and US, and was not surpassed until the American Douglas Skystreak turbojet-powered research aircraft did so on August 20 1947. Five prototype Me 163 Anton A-series experimental V-aircraft were built, adding to the original DFS 194, followed by eight pre-production examples designated Me 163 A-0.

    During testing the jettisonable main landing gear arrangement proved to be a serious problem and caused many planes to be damaged at take-off when the wheels rebounded and crashed into the plane. Malfunctioning hydraulic dampers in the skid could lead to back injuries for the pilot on landing , and the airplane lacked steering or braking control during the landing run, leaving the pilot unable to avoid obstacles. Once on the ground, it had to be retrieved by a specialized tractor-like vehicle, the three-wheeled Scheuschlepper, as the Komet was unpowered and lacked wheels at this point.

    During flight testing, the superior gliding capability of the swept-wing Komet proved detrimental to safe landing. The plane would rise back into the air with the slightest updraft. Since the approach was made unpowered, there was no opportunity to make another landing pass if the plane failed to stop at the proper airfield. For production models, a set of landing flaps allowed somewhat more controlled landings. This issue remained a problem throughout the program, however.

    Nevertheless the performance was tremendous and plans were made to put Me 163 squadrons all over Germany in 25 mile (40 km) rings. Development of an operational version was given the highest priority.

    Me 163 B Meanwhile Walter had started work on the newer HWK 109-509 hot engine, using a hypergolic fuel formula, which added a true fuel of hydrazine and methanol, designated 'C-Stoff, that burned with the oxygen-rich exhaust from the T-Stoff, used as the oxidizer, for added thrust. (See List of Stoffs.) This resulted in the significantly modified Me 163 B of late 1941. Due to the Reichsluftfahrtministerium requirement that it should be possible to throttle the engine, the originally simple power plant grew complicated and lost reliability. The new fuel proved an unfortunate choice as well, since hydrazine was also used in the launcher of the V-1 "Doodlebug" flying bomb and was in short supply throughout the 1943-45 period.

    The fuel system was particularly troublesome, as leaks experienced during hard landings easily degenerated in fires and explosions. Metal fuel lines and fittings, which failed in unpredictable ways, were used as this was the best technology available. Both fuel and oxidizer were toxic and required extreme care when loading in the airframe -- yet there were still occasions when Komets simply exploded on the tarmac. The corrosive nature of the liquids also mandated special protective gear for the pilots.

    Two prototypes were followed by thirty Me 163 B-0 aircraft armed with two MG 151/20 cannon and some four hundred Me 163 B-1s armed with two MK 108 cannon, but which were otherwise similar to the B-0. Occasional references to B-1a or Ba-1 subtypes are found in the literature on the aircraft, but the meanings of these designations are somewhat unclear. Early in the war the a was added to export (ausland) variants (B-1a) or to foreign-built variants (Ba-1) but there were neither export nor a foreign-built versions. Later in the war the a was used for planes using different engine types (Me 262 A-1a with Jumo engines, A-1b with BMW engines). As the Me 163 was planned with an alternative BMW P3330A rocket engine it's quite safe to assume the a was used for this purpose on early examples. Only one Me 163, the V10, was tested with the BMW engine so this designation suffix was soon dropped.

    The performance of the Me 163 far exceeded that of contemporary piston engine fighters. After take-off from a two-wheeled dolly, it would be travelling at over 200 mph (320 km/h) at the end of the runway, at which point it would pull up into an 80-degree angle of climb, jettison the dolly, and rapidly climb to the bombers' altitude. It could go even higher if need be, reaching 40,000 ft (12,000 m) in an unheard-of three minutes. Once there, it would level off and quickly accelerate to speeds around 550 mph (880 km/h) or faster, which no Allied plane could hope to match. The Me 163 was a highly efficient glider by necessity, and it suffered from serious compressibility problems and became impossible to control at times when at full speed (especially in a powered dive). This was disconcerting to pilots, as it is a phenomenon rarely encountered in piston-engined aircraft.

    By this point Messerschmitt was completely overloaded with production of the Bf 109 and attempts to bring the Messerschmitt Me 210 into service. Production in a dispersed network was handed over to Klemm, but quality control problems were such that the work was later given to Junkers, who was at that time underworked. As with many German designs of WWII, parts of the airframe (esp. wings) were made of wood, which allowed furniture manufacturers to act as subcontractors.

    For training purposes it was planned to introduce the Me 163 S, which removed the rocket engine and tank capacity and placed a second seat for the instructor behind the pilot. The 163 S would be used for glider landing training, which proved to be a serious problem in practice. It appears the 163 S's were converted from the earlier 163A series prototypes.

    In service the MK 108's low muzzle-velocity proved to be a serious problem. The Komet traveled so fast that it was almost impossible to hit a slow-moving bomber with the two cannons (three hits were typically needed to take down a B-17 Flying Fortress). A number of innovative solutions were implemented to ensure kills by less experienced pilots, the most promising was a unique weapon called the Sondergerät 500 Jägerfaust. This consisted of a series of single-shot short-barreled 50-mm guns pointing upwards. Five were mounted in the wing roots on each side of the aircraft. The trigger was tied to a photocell in the upper surface of the aircraft, and when the Komet flew under the bomber, the resulting change in brightness caused by the underside of the aircraft could cause the rounds to be fired. As each shell shot upwards, the disposable gun barrel that fired it was ejected downwards, thus making the weapon Recoilless rifle. It appears that this weapon was used in combat only once, resulting in the destruction of a Handley Page Halifax bomber, though other sources say it was a Boeing B-17Ethel and Price 1979, p. 133-135.Ethell 1978, p. 140.

    Later versions Another major concern about the design was the short flight time, which never met the projections made by Walter. With only eight minutes of powered flight, the plane truly was a dedicated point defense interceptor aircraft. In order to improve on this, work started on the development of an engine with two separate combustion chambers, oriented one above the other, with the upper one tuned for "high power" for takeoff and climb, the lower chamber with approximately 400 kg (880 lb) of thrust at its top performance level, for efficient lower-power cruise. This HWK 109-509.C would improve endurance by as much as 50%. Two 163 Bs, V6 and V18, were experimentally fitted with the new engine and tested in 1944. July 2 1944 the Me 163 B V18 set a new world speed record of 1,130 km/h (702 mph), piloted by Heini Dittmar.

    Waldemar Voigt of Messerschmitt's Oberammergau offices started a redesign of the 163 to incorporate the new engine, as well as fix other problems. The resulting Me 163 C design featured a larger wing through the addition of an insert at the wing root, an extended fuselage with extra tank capacity through the addition of a "plug" insert behind the wing, and a new pressurized cockpit topped with a bubble canopy giving dramatically improved visibility. The additional tank capacity and cockpit pressurization allowed the maximum altitude to increase to 52,000 feet, as well as improving powered time to about twelve minutes, almost doubling combat time (from about five minutes to nine). Three prototypes were planned, but it appears only one was flown, and that without its intended engine.Green 1970, p. 604.

    Meanwhile, another redesign was taking form as the Me 163 D, which retained the original overall design of the 163 B, but included the fuselage plug for increased tank capacity and discarded the takeoff "dolly" and landing skid for a proper, retractable tricycle undercarriage. Work on this version was "farmed out" to Focke Achgelis, who produced a single prototype in early 1944.Green 1971, p. 111-112.

    But by this time it appears that Willy Messerschmitt had tired of the entire project, and moved all work on the advanced models to Junkers. Here a new design effort under the direction of Heinrich Hertel at Dessau attempted to combine the 163 C's advanced features with the landing gear from the 163 D. The resulting Junkers Ju 248 used a three-section fuselage to ease construction. The V1 prototype was completed for testing in August 1944, and was glider tested behind a Junkers Ju 188. Apparently the Walter 109-509.C engine was fitted in September, but it is not clear if it was ever tested under this power. At this point the RLM re-assigned the project to Messerschmitt, where it became the Me 263. This appears to have been a formality only, with Junkers continuing the work and planned productionGreen 1971, p. 112-114..

    However, by the time the design was ready to go into production, after many delays, the plant it was to be made at was overrun by Soviet Union forces. While it did not reach operational status, the work was briefly continued by the Russia Mikoyan-Gurevich (MiG) design bureau as the Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270Green 1971, p. 150-151..

    Operations Operations began in 1944. As expected, the plane was extremely fast, and for a time the Allied fighters were at a complete loss as what to do about it. Singly or in pairs, the Komets attacked the bomber formations, often faster than the opposing fighters could dive in an attempt to intercept them. A typical Me 163 tactic was to zoom through the bomber formations at 30,000 ft (9,000 m), up to an altitude of 35,000–40,000 ft (10,700–12,000 m), then dive down through the formation again. With luck, this would afford the pilot two brief chances to fire off a few rounds from his cannons before he had to glide back to his airfield.

    As the cockpit was unpressurized, the operational ceiling was limited by what the pilot could endure for several minutes while breathing oxygen from a mask, without losing consciousness. Pilots underwent altitude chamber training to harden them against the rigors of operating in the thin air of the stratosphere without a pressure suit. Test pilots were able to arrange several skiing vacations on the pretext of altitude training. Special low-fiber diets also had to be prepared for pilots as any gas in the gastrointestinal tract would expand rapidly as the aircraft rocketed toward the high-flying bomber formations.

    One fighter wing, Jagdgeschwader 400 (J.G. 400 also JG400), commanded by Major Wolfgang Späte, was equipped with the craft in two groups, with the mission of defending synthetic fuel installations during May 1944. First actions occurred at the end of July, attacking two USAAF B-17 Flying Fortress bombers without confirmed kills and continuing in combat from May 1944 to spring 1945. During this time, there were nine confirmed kills with 14 lost. Feldwebel Siegfried Schubert was the most successful pilot with three four-engine-bombers to his credit.Späte, p. XII.

    Allied fighter pilots quickly noted the short lifetime of the powered flight. They would wait it out, and as soon as the engine went dead they would pounce on the unpowered, gliding Komet. They also quickly identified the fields the planes operated from and started strafing them after the Me 163s landedEthell 1978, p. 94-144.. More of the planes were being lost than pilots could be trained on them, and it was clear that the original plan for a huge network of Me 163 bases was never going to happen.

    In any operational sense the Komet was a failure. More were lost to landing accidentsEthel 1978, p. 150-151. than they ever accounted for in bomber kills, which stand at only 16. Due to fuel shortages late in the war, very few actually went into combat, and it took an experienced pilot with excellent shooting skills to achieve "kills" with the Me-163. At the same time the Komet was a remarkable design that pointed the way to the future. It was one more piece of strong evidence that the day of the propeller fighter was over, and it also spawned later weapons like the Bachem Ba 349 Natter and Convair XF-92. Ultimately, the point defense role that the Me 163 played would be taken over by the surface-to-air missile (SAM), Messerschmitt's own example being the Enzian. The airframe designer, Alexander Martin Lippisch went on to design delta-winged supersonic aircraft for the Convair Corporation.

    Surviving aircraft It has been claimed that at least 29 "Komets" were shipped out of Gernmany after the war and that of those at least ten have been known to survive the warEthell 1978, p. 157-158. to be put on display in musea around the world.Most of the ten surviving Me 163s were part of the special Luftwaffe rocket fighter wing known as Jagdgeschwader 400 (JG400), and were captured by the British at Husum (Schleswig), the squadron's base at the time of Germany's surrender in 1945.

    United States





    United Kingdom





    Germany at the Luftwaffenmuseum in Berlin-Gatow



    Canada Werkenummer 19116 and 191095 also seem to have been held at one time in this museum.Ethell 1978, p. 158.

    Australia

    Japanese versions As part of their alliance, Germany provided the Japanese Empire with plans and an example of the Me 163Ethell 1978, p. 155-157.. The Japanese versions were designed as Trainer (aircraft), Fighter aircraft, and interceptor aircraft. Differences between the versions were fairly minor. The Mitsubishi Ki-200 Shusui ("Shu" means "autumn", "sui" means "water" in Japanese) was the equivalent of the 163 B, armed with two 30 mm Ho 155-II cannon. The Navy version, the Mitsubishi J8M Shusui, simply replaced the Ho 155 cannon with the Navy's 30 mm Type 5.

    Mitsubishi also planned on producing a version of the 163 C for the Navy, known as the J8M2 Shusui Model 21. A version of the 163 D/263 was known as the J8M3 Shusui for the Navy with the Type 5 cannon, and Ki-202 Shusui-kai ("kai" means "modified" in Japanese) with the Ho 155-II for the Army.

    Trainers were planned, roughly the equivalent of the Me 163 A-0/S. These were known as the Yokoi Ku-13 Akigusa ("Aki" means also "autumn" and "gusa (kusa)" means "grass" in Japanese) or Ki-200 Syusui Rocket Interceptor practice glider.

    Other trainer variants included:

    Replicas A flying replica Me 163 was constructed between 1994 and 1996 by Joseph Kurtz, a former Luftwaffe pilot who trained to fly Me 163's but who never flew in combat. He subsequently sold the aircraft to [EADS. The replica is an unpowered glider whos shape closely matches that of an Me 163, although its weight and internal construction differ considerably. Reportedly, it has excellent flying characteristics.

    XCOR Aerospace, an aerospace and rocketry company, proposed a rocket powered replica. Although outwardly the same as a wartime aircraft, the design would have differed considerably for safety reasons. It would have been powered by a simpler and safer, pressure fed, liquid oxygen/alcohol engine and retractable undercarriage would have been used instead of a take-off trolley and landing skid. The project is no longer discussed on the company's website and it appears work has ceased on this project, possibly due to lack of commercial interest.

    Several static replica aircraft are exhibited in museums.

    Specifications (Me 163 B-1) {{aircraft specifications||plane or copter?=plane|jet or prop?=jet|crew=1|length main=5.70 m|length alt=18 ft 8 in|span main=9.33 m|span alt=30 ft 7 in|height main=2.75 m|height alt=9 ft 0 in|area main=18.5 m²|area alt=200 ft²|empty weight main=1,905 kg|empty weight alt=4,200 lb|loaded weight main=3,950 kg|loaded weight alt=8,710 lb|max takeoff weight main=4,310 kg|max takeoff weight alt=9,500 lb|engine (jet)=Walter HWK 109-509A-2|type of jet=liquid-fuel rocket|number of jets=1|thrust main=17 kN|thrust alt=3,800 lbf|max speed main=960 km/h (Mach 0.73)|max speed alt=596 mph)
  • Duration of flight: 8 minutes|range main=40 km|range alt=25 miles|ceiling main=12,100 m|ceiling alt=39,700 ft|climb rate main=3,666 m/min|climb rate alt=11,730 ft/min|loading main=213 kg/m²|loading alt=43 lb/ft²|thrust/weight=0.42|armament= -->

    References

    External links

    Related content {{aircontent||related=DFS-39 -DFS-194 -Messerschmitt Me 263 -Mitsubishi J8M -Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270

    ] -Bachem Ba 349

    ] -Messerschmitt Bf 162 -Heinkel He 162 -Messerschmitt Bf 163 -Me 163 -Messerschmitt Me 164 -Kiel FK 166 -Fieseler Fi 166

    |lists=List of military aircraft of Germany -List of fighter aircraft -List of military aircraft of Germany during World War II -List of rocket planes-->



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    Messerschmitt Me 163



     
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