Messerschmitt Me 263

Messerschmitt Me 263

Company type	Aircraft project
Industry	Aerospace
Predecessor	Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet
Founded	1944
Fate	Project halted, prototypes captured
Headquarters	Germany , Germany
Products	Rocket-powered fighter aircraft prototypes

For the fictional plane in the movie Aces: Iron Eagle III, see Scaled Composites ARES.

The Messerschmitt Me 263 Scholle (plaice) was a rocket-powered fighter developed as an evolution of the Me 163 Komet during the closing stages of World War II. Although three prototypes were constructed, none achieved powered flight due to Germany’s rapidly worsening wartime conditions, which halted the completion of the testing program.

History

Initially, the Me 163's endurance was extremely limited, even more so than in its final form. The original design lacked a throttle on its rocket engine, causing fuel to be consumed within minutes. This not only severely restricted flight duration but also led to pilots experiencing compressibility effects during level flight after climbing, as speeds increased rapidly. In response, the RLM mandated the integration of a throttle system, resulting in significant delays but substantially improving fuel efficiency.

This issue was resolved with the introduction of the larger Me 163C model, which incorporated the dual-chamber HWK 509B or -C rocket engine already tested on the Me 163B V6 and V18 prototypes. The upper main combustion chamber was optimized for high thrust output, while a smaller lower chamber called the Marschofen provided reduced thrust (approximately 400 kgf maximum) for economical cruising. Throttling was achieved by intermittently shutting down and restarting the main chamber, which delivered roughly four times the power of the smaller one. This approach simplified engine operation and greatly enhanced efficiency during cruise. Coupled with slightly increased fuel capacity, powered flight duration extended to around twelve minutes—an improvement of about 50%. Because climb times were brief, this effectively more than doubled endurance at operational altitude.

Ju 248

Disappointed by slow progress on the Me 163 project, the RLM eventually transferred development responsibilities to Heinrich Hertel at Junkers. Meanwhile, Lippisch remained at Messerschmitt with backing from Waldemar Voigt and continued advancing the Me 163C design.

At Junkers, engineers used the Me 163C as a foundation to create a larger variant known as the Ju 248. This model preserved features such as the pressurized cockpit and bubble canopy from the Me 163C but added increased fuel storage and introduced retractable landing gear. A wooden mock-up was presented to officials on September 25, 1944. The production aircraft was planned to be equipped with the more powerful BMW 109-708 rocket engine instead of the Walter unit.

Before assembling the Ju 248, two Me 163B prototypes (v13 and v18) were designated for reconstruction. Due to weather damage, v13 was unusable; only v18 was refurbished. Test pilot Heini Dittmar flew v18 to a record speed of 1,130 kilometres per hour (700 mph) on July 6, 1944, during which its rudder nearly suffered complete destruction. This particular aircraft is often mistakenly referred to as the Me 163D despite being built after Ju 248 development had commenced.

Hertel had ambitions to incorporate Lorin ramjet engines; however, this technology remained too immature for practical use. As an interim solution, two external Sondergeräte auxiliary fuel tanks containing 160 L (35 imp gal; 42 US gal) of T-Stoff oxidizer each were mounted under the wings. Although this addition reduced top speed by approximately ten percent, it did not adversely affect handling characteristics. While Junkers claimed that the Ju 248 utilized standard Me 163B wings, modifications were made by Puklitsch firm to increase wing fuel capacity by accommodating additional C-Stoff fuel tanks.

Me 263

In November 1944, the aircraft received a new designation as the Me 263 to emphasize its link with the Me 163. Both models were assigned distinct names: the Ju 248 was called Flunder (Flounder), while the Me 263 was named Scholle (Plaice). Early in 1945, Junkers introduced its own contender, the EF 127 Walli rocket interceptor, aiming to rival the Me 163C and Me 263.

The Me 263 v1 performed its initial unpowered flight in February 1945, followed by several additional glide tests within the same month. A major issue encountered involved a shift in the center of gravity, which was corrected by adding counterweights. For production models, this problem was intended to be resolved by relocating either the engine or modifying the landing gear setup. The aircraft retained a fixed landing gear during these tests. Early flight results suggested that the existing configuration was adequate for production purposes.

Testing had to be suspended later due to a shortage of fuel for the Bf 110 tow aircraft. Since the Me 263 was excluded from the Jägernotprogramm (Emergency Fighter Program), securing necessary resources proved challenging. At that stage, mass production was not anticipated, though development continued. The v2 and v3 variants were still under development; the v2 was planned to incorporate retractable landing gear, and the v3 would feature integrated armament. In the following month, both v1 and v2 versions were equipped with the dual-chamber HWK 109-509C engine, which addressed the center-of-gravity complications. These models flew only as gliders.

In April, American forces seized control of the manufacturing facility and captured three prototypes along with a mock-up. The v2 prototype was destroyed, but another example was transported to the United States. The remaining units were handed over to Soviet forces, who subsequently developed their own interceptor, the Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270.

Specifications (Me 263 V1)

File:KN Me 263V1 1945.jpg

Messerschmitt Me 263

References

Bibliography

• Christopher, John. The Race for Hitler's X-Planes. Gloucestershire: History Press, 2013. ISBN 978-0-7524-6457-2.
• Käsmann, Ferdinand C.W. Die schnellsten Jets der Welt (in German). Berlin: Aviatic-Verlag GmbH, 1999. ISBN 3-925505-26-1.
• Myhra, David. Messerschmitt Me 263. Schiffer Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-76430-909-9.