Messerschmitt Me 209-II

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Me 209-II

Type	Fighter prototype
Manufacturer	Messerschmitt
Designed by	Willy Messerschmitt
Maiden flight	3 November 1943
Retired	1944
Primary user	Luftwaffe (intended)
Number built	4

Messerschmitt's designation Me 209 was actually used for two separate projects during World War II. The first Me 209 was a record-setting single-engined race plane for which little or no consideration was given to adaptation for combat. The second, described below, was the Me 209-II, a proposal for an enhanced version of the highly successful Messerschmitt Bf 109 which served as the Luftwaffe's primary fighter throughout World War II.

1 Design and development
2 Testing
3 Specifications (Me 209 V5)
4 References
5 Related content

[edit] Design and development

The second incarnation of the Me 209 project came in 1943 when Willy Messerschmitt proposed a heavily modified version of his extremely successful but aging Bf 109. This Me 209 would compete against Focke-Wulf's high performance Fw 190D-9 and Ta 152 fighters. Like these enhanced versions of Kurt Tank's design, the new Me 209 would share most of its airframe with a proven model, in this case, the Me 109G. This marked a departure from the first failed Me 209 and later Me 309 projects which had been completely new designs.

Unfortunately for the design team, the Me 209's proposed DB 603 engine was in short supply and they were forced to use the Jumo 213E engine which offered inferior performance. The Me 209 featured a new tail section, broad-track landing gear, a taller tail, and an annular radiator which gave the engine a superficial resemblance to a radial powerplant. As with the original 209 project, however, successive modifications undermined the original purpose of the fighter, in this case to build a superior fighter as similar to the existing Me 109G as possible.

As the project progressed, increasingly cumbersome designations signalled the Me 209's evolution from a simple, enhanced version of the Bf 109 to a progressively incompatible airframe. The Me 209 V5 featured armament of one MK 108 and two MG 131 in the wing roots. The V6 was the first version to be converted to use the Jumo 213 engine and had MG 151/20 guns instead of the MG 131. The Me 209H V1 was a high-altitude variant with extended wings and reverted to the DB 603.

[edit] Testing

Despite this proliferation of variants however, the program met a swift end when the Me 209 V5 prototype first flew in late 1944. It was 50 km/h (31 mph) slower than the already-available Fw 190D and offered no improvement in handling characteristics. After its disappointing show, the Me 209 project was cancelled and with it ended Messerschmitt's last attempt to build a high-performance piston engine fighter.

[edit] Specifications (Me 209 V5)

3-view

General characteristics

Crew: one, pilot
Length: 9.74 m (31 ft 11 in)
Wingspan: 10.95 m (35 ft 11 in)
Height: 4.00 m (13 ft 1 in)
Wing area: 17.2 m² (185 ft²)
Empty weight: 3,339 kg (7,346 lb)
Loaded weight: 4,085 kg (8,987 lb)
Powerplant: 1× Db 603G , 1,397 kW (1,900 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 678 km/h (423 mph)
Service ceiling: 11,000 m (36,080 ft)
Wing loading: 238 kg/m² (49 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.36 kW/kg (0.22 hp/lb)

Armament

1 x 30 mm MK 108 cannon
2 x 13 mm MG 131 machine guns

[edit] References

Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War, Fighters, vol. I. London: Hanover House, 1960.
Jackson, Robert. Infamous Aircraft: Dangerous Designs and their Vices. Barnsley, Yorkshire, UK: Pen and Sword Aviation, 2005. ISBN 1-84415-172-7.