Messerschmitt Me 264
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| Me 264 | |
|---|---|
 CG render of a Me-264 |
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| Type | Long-range bomber/Maritime reconnaissance aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Messerschmitt |
| Designed by | Wolfgang Degel, Paul Konrad and Waldemar Voigt[1] |
| Maiden flight | 23 December 1942 |
| Status | Cancelled, 23 September 1944 |
| Primary user | Luftwaffe |
| Number built | 3 |
The Me 264 Amerika (America) was a long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft developed by Messerschmitt during World War II for the Luftwaffe. It was intended to support U-boat operations far into the Atlantic, serving both as a scout to direct the attack, as well as launching attacks of its own. The design was later selected as a competitor in the Reichsluftfahrtministerium's (the German Air Ministry) "Amerika Bomber" programme, which intended to develop a strategic bomber capable of attacking New York City from bases in France or the Azores, although it is highly doubtful that this would have been achieved with a meaningful payload, if at all. One prototype was built, but production was abandoned to allow Messerschmitt to concentrate on fighter production while another design, the Junkers Ju 390, had been selected in its place as a maritime reconnaissance plane.
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[edit] Development history
The origin of the Me 264 design came from Messerschmitt's long range reconnaissance aircraft project, the P.1061, of the late 1930s. A variant on the P.1061 was the P.1062, with only two engines to the P.1061's four, but they were the more powerful DB 606 engines. In early 1941 six P.1061 prototypes were ordered from Messerschmitt, under the designation Me 264. This was later reduced to three prototypes.
The progress of these projects was initially slow, but after Germany had declared war on The United States, the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) started a more serious programme for a very long range bomber, with the result that a larger, six-engined aircraft with a greater bomb load was called for. To meet this demand proposals were put forward for the Junkers Ju 390, Focke-Wulf Ta 400 and a six-engined Messerschmitt Me 264B. As the Junkers Ju 390 could use components already in use for the Ju 290 this design was chosen. The Me 264 was not abandoned however as the Kriegsmarine (German Navy) separately demanded a long range patrol and attack aircraft to replace the converted Fw 200 Condor in this role. As a result, the two pending prototypes were ordered to be completed as development prototypes for the Me 264A ultra long-range reconnaissance aircraft. [2][3]
The first prototype, the Me 264 V1, was flown on December 23, 1942. It was powered at first by four Jumo 211J engines of 1,340 shp (metric hp, 990 kW) each. In late 1943 these were changed to the BMW 801G which delivered 1,750 shp (1,290 kW). Trials showed numerous minor faults, and handling was found to be difficult. One of the drawbacks was the very high wing load of the plane in fully loaded conditions, e.g. comparable planes such as the B-29 Superfortress with 337 kg/m² wing loading at three times the payload or the Ju 390 at 209 kg/m² wing loading had a better design. High wing loading leads to performance problems across the whole flight envelope, in particular bad climb performance, loss of maneuverability and in-flight stability, and the need for high take-off and landing speeds. This first prototype was not fitted with weapons or armour, but of the following two prototypes, the Me 264 V2 had armour for the engines, crew and gun positions -though it was decided to complete the Me 264 V2 without defensive armament- and vital services and the Me 264 V3 was to be armed and had the same mentioned armoured parts.
In 1943, the Kriegsmarine withdrew their interest in the Me 264 in favour of the existing Ju 290 and the planned Ju 390. As a consequence, in October 1943, Erhard Milch ordered the cancellation of further Me 264 development and focussing on the Me 262 jet fighter-bomber. Late in 1943 the second prototype, Me 264 V2, was destroyed in a bombing attack[4][5] On July 18, 1944 the first prototype, which had entered service with Transportstaffel 5, was damaged during an Allied bombing raid and was not repaired. The third prototype, which had not been fully completed, was destroyed during the same raid.
On September 23, 1944, work on the Me 264 project was officially cancelled.
[edit] Design
It was an all-metal high-wing four-engine heavy bomber of classic construction. The fuselage was round in cross-section and had a crew cabin in a glazed "bullet" nose, astonishingly similar in some respects to that of the B-29. The wing had a slightly swept leading edge and a straight rear edge. The tailplane had double tail fins. The undercarriage was a retractable tricycle gear, the Me 264 being the only German bomber built in any size during the war that used such a modern arrangement, with large-diameter wheels on the wing-mounted main gear. The planned armament consisted of guns in remotely operated turrets and in positions on the sides of the fuselage. Overall it carried very little armour and few guns in order to increase fuel capacity and range. The Me 264 had four 1,700 PS(1,250 kW) BMW 801G engines. In order to provide comfort on the proposed long-range missions, the Me 264 featured bunk beds and a small galley complete with hotplates.
[edit] Specifications (with BMW 801 engines)
General characteristics
- Crew: Eight
- Length: 21.3 m (69 ft 9 in)
- Wingspan: 43 m (141 ft)
- Height: 4.3 m (14 ft)
- Wing area: 127.8 m² (1,376 ft²)
- Empty weight: 21,150 kg (46,630 lb)
- Loaded weight: 45,540 kg (100,400 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 56,000 kg (123,000 lb)
- Powerplant: 4× BMW 801 G/H radial engines, 1,272 kW (1,730 hp) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 560 km/h (350 mph)
- Cruise speed: 350 km/h (217 mph)
- Range: 15,000 km (9,500 mi)
- Service ceiling: 8,000 m (26,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: 120 m/min (390 ft/min)
- Wing loading: 356 kg/m² (72.9 lb/ft²)
- Power/mass: 0.11 kW/kg (0.07 hp/lb)
Armament
- 4 × 13 mm (0.51 in) MG 131 machine guns
- 2 × 20 mm (0.79 in) MG 151 cannons
- 6,600 lb (3,000 kg) bombload in internal bay
[edit] See also
Comparable aircraft
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
[edit] Bibliography
- Forsyth, Robert and Creek, Eddie J. Messerschmitt Me 264 Amerika Bomber: The Luftwaffe's Lost Transatlantic Bomber. Classic Publications, 2007. ISBN 1-903223-65-2.
- Green, William. Warplanes of the Third Reich. London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 1970. ISBN 0-356-02382-6.
- Neitzel, Söhnke. "Der Einsatz der Deutschen Luftwaffe über der Nordsee und dem Atlantik"
- Smith, J.Richard and Kay, Anthony. German Aircraft of the Second World War. London: Putnam and Company, Ltd., 1972. ISBN 0-370-00024-2.
- Smith, J.Richard. Messerschmitt, an Aircraft Album. New York: ARCO Publishing Company, Inc. 1971. ISBN 0-668-02505-5.
- Unknown Author. Messerschmitt-Me 264 - Ein außergewöhnlicher Fernstaufklärer mit 15000 km Reichweite (Sonderdruck aus "Flugwelt"). Wiesbaden, Germany: Flugwelt Verlag GmbH, 1960. (in German)
[edit] External links
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