Messerschmitt Me 262B-1A/U1
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consTRUCTion Me 262 ieaves the production (ine at a heavjly assembly piant situated in the woods, possibly eim, adjacent to the Munich—Stuttgart Autobahn. The Swallow's Anatomy The me 262, unofficially named the Sclìwalbe, or swallow, mas optimised for simple and cheap construction. The type's structure is described by Dr RLFRED PRICE LTHOUGH THE BASIC structure with single l-section main- Structure of the Me 262 spars, with flush-riveted stressed airframe was essentially skin fitted into recesses in the A nothing new, the aircraft did underside of the fuselage. The centre introduce a number of innovations in portions, between the fuselage and aircraft design, most notably the engine nacelles, had a sweptback wing's thickness-to-chord ratio, leading edge and swept-forward which was kept low to provide high- trailing edge. The outer portions of speed aerodynamic efficiency. These the wings were tapered and swept• notes describe a typical Me 262A. back, with square-cut tips. The ABOVE The Rheìnmetall-Borsig MK108 30mm cannon. A sweepback at the wing leading edge technician hoids one of the 330g (11oz) high-explosive rounds. BELOW An Me 262A-1a of JG7 with 12 R4M 55mm folding-fìn Fuselage was 18° 32'. The wings had rocitets mounted on a wooden racle under the starboard wing. The fuselage was an ali-metal detachable tips and full-span semi-monocoque structure of near- automatic leading-edge slats. triangular section with rounded Frise-type ailerons were fitted in two corners, the wing passing through sections on each wing, Slotted flaps the base. It was assembied in tour were mounted inboard of the ailerons sections: the nose cone, which and had maximum extension of 60° housed the guns and ammunition, and a backward movement of Sin. the centre-section, which included the cockpit; the rear fuselage, and Tail Assembly the tail section. The cantilever tailplane was mountec half-way up the fin with mass- Wings balanced rudder and elevators. The Me 262's wing structure Trim-tabs were fitted to both comprised two low one-piece elevators and a geared tab fitted to cantilever wings of ali-metal the rudder for trimming. 64 Aeroplane, June 200^ 49 Pilol's instrument panel 68 Roll-down window DIinds 87 Rudder horn balance 98 Fin spar attacttment 115 Pori outDoard flap segment messerschmitt me 262B-1a/U1 50 Cockpit front pressure 70 Rear fuel tank filler 88 Rudder trim tab sloping bulkbead 116 wing detachable bottom skin bulkbead 71 Cylindrical cockpit 89 Elevator mass balance welght 99 Master compass transmitter panels 1 Camera aperture 28 Fuel tank mountings 36 Starboard navigation llght 51 Rudder pedais pressure shell 90 Hmge control 100 Rear fuselage trame and 117 Aileron control rod 2 Sun camera 29 Fuel feed pipe 37 Wing tip fairing 52 Hydraulic reservoir 72 Cockpit rear pressure 91 Elevator geared tab stringer structure lIBAileron geared tab 3FuG 2^S^eptund\^30\e 30 Tank filler access 38 Starboard linked "Frise-type" 53170lit(37 Imp gal) fonward bulkbead 92 Port elevator rib conslnjction 101 Tailplane control rods 119 Port aileron rib structure radar antenna e 31 Starboard Inboard aileron panels auxiliary fuel tank 73 Electronic equipment racks 93 Rudder-mounted tail 102 Signal cartridge launchers 120 Wing tip fairing 4 Antenna masi leading edge siat 39Aileron hinge control linkage 64 (vlainwheei door 74 Starboard side equipment navigation tight 103 I.OOOkg-thrust (2,205lb) 121 Port navigation light 5 NosewheeI leg door 32 Flap hydraulic jacks 40 Geared tab 55 lylain undercarriage wbeei bay access door 94 Tailplane single mainspar assisted take-off rocket 6 Nose undercarriage leg strut 33 Engine nacelle fairing 41 Outboard slotted flap segment 56 Hydraulic accumulator 75 Antenna mast and rib structure 7 AfI-retracting nosewheei 34 Outboard automatic 42 Flap guide rail 57 Cockpit side console panel 76 FuG 16ZY D/F loop antenna 95 FuG 218 Neptun tail radar 8 Torque scissor links siat segmenta 43 Drive Sbaft and hmge links 58 Rudder trim bandwbeei 77 Antenna lead-in warning antenna 9 Hydraulic retraction jack 35 SIat guide rails 44 Armoured glass windscreen 59 Engine throttle levers 78 Canopy aft fainng 96 Tailplane mounting 10 Nosewheel door 45Revi 16Bgunsight 60 Pilot's seat TOVariable incidence bulkbead 11 Extended cannon barrete on 46 Circuit breaker panel 61 Safety harness tailplane trim actuating 97 Rudder hinge two lower guns (antenna 47 Control column 62 Starboard inboard rear electric motor control linkage and blasi proteclion) 48 Cabin fresh air intake, flap segment 80 Trimming tailplane mass balance 12 Cannon barrel apertures lever operated 63 Side-binged cockpit canopies, sealing piate weight 13 Starboard engine intake starboard opening 81 Tailplane pivot mounting 14 Detachable cowling panels 64 FuG 360 Naxos radar 82 Fin structure 15 Hinged cannon bay doors tioming equipment 83 Starboard tailplane 16 Cannon barrel mountings S6 Radar operator's insirument 84 Aileron horn balance 17MK108 30mm cannon panel with Neptun 85 Starboard aileron 18 Inboard ammunition radar indicator 86 Communications feed chutes 66 "Kick-in" boarding steps antenna cable 19 Cannon bay upper tie-rod 67 Radar operator's steps 20 CartrJdge case ejector chutes 21 Ammunition bays; 100 r.p.g, for upper guns, 80 r.p.g. for lower pair 22 400lit (60 Imp gal) 122 Pitot head iettisonable auxiliary fuel 123 Outboard automatic leading tanks (21 edge siat segments 23 Tank pylon 124 SIat guide rails 24 Compressed air botlles, 125 Wing rib structure tour per side 126 Ivlainspar 25 Electrical relay panels 127 Port angine nacelle 26 Cannon bay rear bulkbead 128 Port mainwheei 27 Forward main tuel tank 129 MainwbeeI shock 900lit (198 Imp gal) absorber leg strut 130 Mainwheei leg pivo! mounting 131 Hydraulic retraction jack 132 Mainspar steei boom cap 133 Wing/tuselage fonvard attactiment spigot 134 Port inboard leading edge siat segment 135 Main engine mountings 136 Geartìox-driven genetator 137 Movable exhaust ptug drive servo-motor 138 Junkers Jumo 004B-1 angine 139 Nacelle Etep 140 Accessory equipment gearbox 141 Engine oil tank 142 Starter motor fuel tank 143 Engine starter motor 144 Starter motor housing/centre-body fairing 145 Port engine intake consTRUCTion Undercarriage Both the main engines and their This was of tricycle type witfi starter motors ran on J-2 fuel, 87- me 262H-1ariahterdata hydraulic retraction. Hydraulic brakes octane petrol mixed with 5 per cent Dimensions were used on ali wheels. The diesel oil. The Me 262A-1a fighter Span 41ft OMin (12-5m) mainwheels retracted inwards into carried four fuel tanks in the Length 34ft 9;^in (10-6m) tfie underside of the wing centre fuselage, two of 196 Imp gal, one Height llfteXin (3-5m) section, and the nosewheel retracted of 38 gal and one of 132 gal Wing area 233-58ft' (21-72m) rearwards into the fuselage, capacity, There was also provision Wing loading at normal Ioaded weight 60-4lb/ft^ to carry two drop tanks under the Engines forward fuselage, with a total Weights Empty, equipped 9,742lb (4,420kg) The most significant part of the Me capacity of 132 Imp gal. Normal Ioaded (no external stores) 14,101 Ib (6,396kg) 262's construction concerned the two Junkers Jumo 004 B-1 or B-4 Accommodation Performance eight-stage axial-flow gas turbine The pilot's cockpit was mounted over Max speed {clean) 513 m.p.h. at sea levei, units, each deveioping 1,980lb the wing trailing edge, and was 541 m.p.h. al 19,500fl, thrust, mounted in a nacelle slung protected by 15mm armour plates in limiting safe Mach No 0-83 under each wing. The engines were front of and behind the pilot, and by Max initial rate of climb 3,940ft/min started by means of a Riedel two- a 90mm toughened glass wind• Time to 19,500ft 6min 48sec cylinder two-stroke starter motor built screen, Access was gained via K1 Range Normal fighter internai tankage, 300 miles at s/l, into the nose cone of each jet unit. a sideways-hinged canopy, am 650 miies at 29,500ft Armament Fighter Four 30mm Rheinmetall-Borsig MK108 cannon, 100 r.p.g. for messerschmitt me 262 uariants the two upper weapons, 80 r.p.g. for the two lower. Later modified to Me 262A-0 Pre-production fighter version, 13 aircraft built during carry 24 R4M unguided rockets on wing-mounted wooden racks March and Aprii 1944. Most sent to test establishments Fighter-bomber Two 30mm MK108 cannon with 80 r.p.g. Two 250kg (550lb) or one 500kg (1,100lb) bombs carried externally Me 262A-1a First production fighter version, armament four 30mm under the nose cannon. Morethan 1,000 built Tactical reconnaissance version One 30mm cannon in the extreme Me 262A-1a/U3 Tactical reconnaissance version of the A-1 fighter. nose. Two Rb 50/30 automatic cameras in vertical split pair Armament reduced to one 30mm cannon, carried two Rb 50/30 aerial cameras in a vertical split pair. Built in small numbers Me 262A-2a Fighter-bomber version of the A-la fighter. Armour removed, and additional fuel tanks mounted in the rear fuselage. Racks for two 250kg or one 500kg bomb mounted under the nose. More than 100 built Me 262B-1a Two-seat conversion trainer, fitted with dual controls. Second seat fitted to the rear of the first, in place of the rear fuselage fuel tank. Produced in small numbers Me 262B-1a/U1 Two-seater modified for the nightfighter role, Fitted with SN-2 Liechtenstein, later Neptun, airborne interception radar. Also carried the Naxos equipment for homing on emissions from the British H^S radar.