Me 262

German aircraft

Also known as: Messerschmitt Me 262

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July 23, 2026

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The Messerschmitt Me 262 was a German jet fighter developed during World War II. Powered by two Junkers Jumo engines, it could reach speeds of 845 km (525 miles) per hour. This aircraft was armed with four 30-mm cannons and unguided rockets, making it an effective bomber destroyer. However, the Me 262 entered service too late in the war to significantly impact its outcome. It represented an early advancement in jet-powered military aircraft, a field pioneered by engineers like Frank Whittle and Hans von Ohain.12

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air warfare
The jet age
…operational jet fighter, the German Me-262, outflew the best Allied escorts while attacking bomber formations. This introduced the jet age, in which aircraft soon flew at more than twice the speed of sound (741 miles per hour at sea level and 659 miles per hour at 36,000 feet) and easily…
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…operational jet fighter, the German Me-262, outflew the best Allied escorts while attacking bomber formations. This introduced the jet age, in which aircraft soon flew at more than twice the speed of sound (741 miles per hour at sea level and 659 miles per hour at 36,000 feet) and easily…
Read More

military aircraft
Subsonic flight
The Messerschmitt Me 262, powered by two Jumo engines and with wings swept back 18.5°, was capable of 845 km (525 miles) per hour. Armed with four 30-mm cannon and unguided rockets, it was an effective bomber destroyer, but it entered service too late to have a…
Read More
The Messerschmitt Me 262, powered by two Jumo engines and with wings swept back 18.5°, was capable of 845 km (525 miles) per hour. Armed with four 30-mm cannon and unguided rockets, it was an effective bomber destroyer, but it entered service too late to have a…
Read More

20th-century international relations
Science and technology in wartime
…operational combat jet aircraft, the Me-262, but the Nazi regime instead chose to allocate steel and fuel to submarines, ending any chance that Germany might regain control of the skies.
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…operational combat jet aircraft, the Me-262, but the Nazi regime instead chose to allocate steel and fuel to submarines, ending any chance that Germany might regain control of the skies.
Read More