Messerschmitt Me 334
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founder | Alexander Lippisch |
| Products | Conceptual fighter aircraft |
The Messerschmitt Me 334 was a conceptual German piston-driven fighter aircraft, designed by Alexander Lippisch. No prototypes were ever constructed.
Design and development
Alexander Lippisch gained recognition for his work on tailless aircraft designs, achieving moderate success. Following the conceptual approach of the rocket-powered Me 163, he developed a tailless fighter intended to be powered by a Heinkel turbojet. However, due to the slow progress in creating dependable turbojet engines, Lippisch revised the design to incorporate a single Daimler-Benz DB 605 inverted V-12 piston engine. This engine was positioned in the nose and transmitted power to a pusher propeller located at the rear of the fuselage pod through an extended drive shaft.
The aircraft featured mid-mounted wings swept back at an angle of 23.4°, which contained slim retractable main landing gear. The trailing edges of these wings were equipped with elevons on the inner sections and ailerons on the outer sections. Additionally, slots on the outer leading edges were designed to enhance handling and performance at low speeds.
Its planned weaponry included two 13 mm (0.512 in) MG 131 machine guns installed within the wing roots. The Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) assigned the designation Me 334 to this project. Ultimately, Lippisch discontinued development of the Me 334 in favor of pursuing the Lippisch P.20 design.
Specifications
See also
Associated lists
References
External links
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