The Messerschmitt Me 309 was a prototype German fighter designed in the early years of World War II to replace the Messerschmitt Bf 109. Although it had many advanced features, the Me 309's performance left much to be desired and it suffered from so many problems that the project was cancelled with only four prototypes built. The Me 309 was one of several failed Messerschmitt projects intended to replace the aging Bf 109, the others being the Me 209 and the Me 209-II. Messerschmitt is a famous German aircraft manufacturer, known primarily for their World War II fighter aircraft, notably the Bf 109 and Me 262. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... (Bf 109 was the official Reichsluftfahrtministerium designation, though some late-war aircraft actually carried the Me 109 designation stamped onto their aircraft type plates. ... Messerschmitts designation Me 209 was actually used for two separate projects during World War II. The first, described below, was a record-setting single-engined race plane for which little or no consideration was given to adaptation for combat. ... Messerschmitts 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. ...

Me 309

Me 309

The Me 309 project began in mid-1940, just as the Bf 109 was having its first encounters with the Spitfire in the Battle of Britain, the first aircraft to match the 109 in speed and performance. Already Messerschmitt anticipated the need for an improved design to replace the Bf 109. The RLM, however, did not feel the same urgency, and the project was given a low priority and the design was not finalized until the end of 1941. The term Spitfire can refer to: a euphemistic translation of Cacafuego, a Spanish treasure galleon captured by Sir Francis Drake, a warplane, see Supermarine Spitfire a ship, see HMS Spitfire a movie from 1934, see Spitfire (1934) The US title of the British 1942 film The First of the Few. ... Battle of Britain - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Reichsluftfahrtministerium (Reich Aviation Ministry / German Air Ministry / German Aviation Administration) Note: If you are looking for the RLM-GL/C list, please go to List of RLM aircraft designations The Reich Air Ministry (Reichsluftfahrtministerium or RLM), was a German civil service organization in charge of development and production of aircraft...

The new fighter had many novel features, such as tricycle landing gear and a pressurized cockpit which would have given it more comfortable and effective high-altitude performance. Each of the new features was first tested on a number of Bf 109F airframes, the V23 having a ventral radiator, the V31 with radiator and tricyle landing gear, and the V30 having a pressurized cockpit.

Low government interest in the project delayed completion of the first prototype until spring 1942 and trouble with the nosewheel pushed back the 309's first flight to July. When it did fly, the Me 309's performance was satisfactory but not exemplary. In fact, the Bf 109G could outturn its intended replacement. With the addition of armament, the plane's speed decreased to an unnacceptable level. In light of its poor performance and the much more promising development of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190D, the Me 309 was cancelled. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1942: Events January January 30 - Canadian Pacific Air Lines formed by the acquisition and merger of Arrow Airways and Canadian Airways, along with all the various subsidiaries of the latter. ... Focke-Wulf Fw 190 in flight. ...

In 1943, Messerchmitt made one last attempt at creating a replacement for the Bf 109 in the form of the Me 209-II. It was essentially a modification of the existing 109 airframe, Messerschmitt designers not wanting to invest the time and trouble in a new design like the Me 309. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1943: Events January January 27 - the USAAF makes its first daylight raid on Germany January 30 - Royal Air Force de Havilland Mosquitos make the first daylight air-raid on Berlin January 30-31 – the H2S radar is used by RAF bombers...

Specifications (Me 309)

General characteristics

• Crew: one, pilot
• Length: 9.46 m (31 ft 0 in)
• Wingspan: 11.04 m (36 ft 3 in)
• Height: 3.90 m (12 ft 10 in)
• Wing area: 16.6 m² (179 ft²)
• Empty: 3,530 kg (7,766 lb)
• Loaded: 4,250 kg (9,350 lb)
• Maximum takeoff: kg ( lb)
• Powerplant: 1x Daimler-Benz DB 603G, 1,308 kW (1,750 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 733 km/h (457 mph)
• Range: 1,100 km (686 miles)
• Service ceiling: 12,000 m (39,360 ft)
• Rate of climb: m/min ( ft/min)
• Wing loading: 256 kg/m² (52 lb/ft²)
• Power/Mass: 0.31 kW/kg (0.19 hp/lb)

Armament

• 2x 15 mm MG 151 machine guns
• 3x 13 mm MG 131 machine guns

The MG 151 (MG 151/15) was a 15 mm cannon produced by Waffenfabrik Mauser starting in 1940. ...

Related content

Related development: Bf 109 - Me 209 - Me 209-II - Me 409 - Me 509 - Me 609 (Bf 109 was the official Reichsluftfahrtministerium designation, though some late-war aircraft actually carried the Me 109 designation stamped onto their aircraft type plates. ... Messerschmitts designation Me 209 was actually used for two separate projects during World War II. The first, described below, was a record-setting single-engined race plane for which little or no consideration was given to adaptation for combat. ... Messerschmitts 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. ...

Comparable aircraft:

Designation sequence: Hs 297 - Hs 298 - Fw 300 - Me 309 - Me 310 - Do 317 - Do 318