Messerschmitt Me 265

The Messerschmitt Me 265 was a design project for a Zerstorer (heavy fighter) produced by leading German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt in World War II.

Design

The Me 265 was designed in 1942, and intended to replace the failing Me 210. It was also known as the Lippisch Li P 10.^[1]

The Me 265 was an aerodynamically advanced design, using a tailless delta-shaped flying wing and two pusher propellers built into the wing. The two-man crew sat back-to-back in the cockpit. It was powered by two Daimler-Benz DB 603 liquid-cooled, 12 cylinder piston engines, each engine producing 1,750 hp. These engines were mounted in a pusher configuration.^[1]

Ultimately, the design of the Me 265/Li P 10 was rejected in favour of the more conventional Me 410, which re-used a greater proportion of Me 210 components and could be brought into production more quickly.

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 10 m (32.8 ft)
• Wingspan: 17.40 m (57.1 ft)
• Height: ()
• Wing area: 45 m² (484 ft²)
• Empty weight: 6,300 kg (13,889 lb)
• Loaded weight: 11,000 kg (24,250 lb)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 675 km/h at 5,400 m (419 mph at 17,717 ft)
• Range: 2,000 km (1,243 mi)
• Service ceiling: 9,500 m (31,168 ft)

Armament

• Guns: Most likely 2 × 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine guns and 2 × 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons forward-firing; 2 × 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine guns rearward-firing
• Bombs: up to 1,000 kg (2,205 lb)

See also

Related development

• Messerschmitt Me 329
  

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Messerschmitt Me 210
• Messerschmitt Me 410
  

Related lists

• List of military aircraft of Germany
  

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Aircraft of the Luftwaffe 1935-1945: An Illustrated History. Lepage, Jean-Denis G. G. McFarland, 2009

References

• Luftwaffe Secret Projects - Ground Attack & Special Purpose Aircraft, D. Herwig & H. Rode, ISBN 1-85780-150-4
• www.luft46.com on Me 265