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Germany's Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet (Comet) jet fighter^1,2

Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet jet fighter:

Messerschmitt Me 163A-0 and Me 163B Komet jet fighters:

Messerschmitt Me 163B-1 Komet jet fighter:

Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet jet fighter, Cockpit:

Design

The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet was designed by Dr. Alexander Lippisch.^1,2

The design was based on earlier work on the DFS 194 in 1938.² It was done by the German Research Institute for Sailplanes.² A Walter HWK R.I motor (600 lb / 2.7kN) was added.²

Engine

The Walter RII-203 rocket engine got its power by combining two fuels, T-Stoff (hydrogen peroxide) and Z-Stoff.¹

The Walter 109-509A rocket engine got its power by combining T-Stoff (hydrogen peroxide) and C-Stoff (hydrazine hydrate, methyl alcohol, and water).^1,2

There were many accidents with the Me 163 caused by the hazardous fuel mixture.¹

Trolley and Skid

The Me 163 would initially take off with an attached trolley, but it was jettisoned after takeoff.^1,2 Then to land the Me 163 would land on a skid.^1,2 If there was any fuel left the landing could mix the remaining fuel and cause an explosion.²

Armament

Due to the Me 163s high speed, there was little time for a pilot to shoot at a bomber.¹ An upward firing 50 mm shell was developed that with a sensor would detect a bomber overhead on the Me 163's flyby and shoot the shells at the bomber.¹

Under wing rockets were also used.¹

Prototype

The DFS 194 was first flown in 1940.²

In the spring of 1941 the Me 163 was first tested as a glider.¹

Powered flights of the Me 163V1 commenced in the summer of 1941.^1,2 On October 2, 1941, a speed of 623.8 mph / 1004.5 kph was reached.^1,2

The Me 263 first flew in March 1945.²

Production

The Me 163B first flew on June 23, 1943.²

• Me 163V: 6²
• Me 163A-0: 10²
• Me 163B: 300¹, 355²
  • Me 163Ba-1: 70²
  • Me 163B-1a: 279²
• Me 163C:

Variants

• Me 163V1: Prototype.¹ Powered by Walter RII-203 rocket.¹
• Me 163A-0: Unpowered glider trainers.²
• Me 163B: Production model.^1,2 Powered by Walter 109-509A rocket.¹
• Me 163Ba-1: Pre production.²
• Me 163B-0: Had two 20 mm guns.¹
• Me 163B-1: Had two 37 mm guns.¹
• Me 163B-1a: 30 mm guns.²
• Me 163C: Had additional fuel.¹ Pressurized cabin.² Didn't enter production.²
• Me 163S: Trainer.² Two seat.²
• Me 263: Larger fuselage.² Tricycle landing gar.²

Usage

JG 400

Outside of Brandis in June 1944, the I/JG 400 were equipped with the Me 163B-1a.¹ On August 16, 1944, they were first used against B-17 Flying Fortresses.^1,2

Only nine confirmed victories were credited to the Me 163.¹

Heavy Losses

95% of the Me 163 loses were due to landing accidents or fires in the air.²

Japan

Mitsubishi developed the J8M1 Shusui (Sword stroke) for the Japanese.² It was a copy of the Me 163B.² It flew in July 1945 but the prototype was destroyed.² There were 10 J8M1s under construction but they were abandoned.²

	Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet2	Messerschmitt Me 163B Komet2	Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet1
Type	Interceptor2	Interceptor2	Fighter1
Crew	12	12	11
Engine (Type)		Walter HWK 509-A2 liquid fuel rocket motor2	Walter 109-509A-2 rocket motor1
Thrust at take-off		3,750 lb2 16.8kN2	3,748 lb1
Dimensions
Span		30' 7.25"2 9.33 m2	30' 7.25"1 9.33 m1
Length		19' 2.25"2 5.85 m2	18' 8"1 5.69 m1
Height		9' 1"2 2.77 m2	9' 0.5"1 2.76 m1
Wing area			211.2 ft2 1 19.62 m2 1
Weight
Empty			4,200 lb1, 4,206 lb2 1,905 kg1, 1,908 kg2
Loaded			9,061 lb1, 9,502 lb2 4,110 kg1, 4,310 kg2
Performance
Speed @ 9,845' / 3,000 m			596 mph1 960 kph1
Speed @ 9,840' - 29,525' / 3,000 m - 9,000 m			593 mph2 954 kph2
Climb			11,810'/minute1, 15,950'/minute2 3,600 m/minute1, 4,860 m/minute2
Climb to 30,000' / 9,145 m			2.6 minutes2
Climb to 39,500' / 12,040 m			3.4 minutes2
Service ceiling			39,500'2, 39,700'1 12,040 m2, 12,100 m1
Range			50 miles1 80 km1
Endurance			8 minutes2
Armament			2: 30 mm Mk 1081
Wing roots		2: 30 mm2

Sources:

1. Fighting Aircraft of World War II, Editor: Karen Leverington, 1995
2. Aircraft of WWII, Stewart Wilson, 1998

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