Fighter - Bomber Messerschmitt

The fighter-bomber version of the Me 262 was nicknamed "Sturmvogel" (petrel). They were converted from interceptors. The first Me 262A-2a began to roll off the assembly line in July 1944. They differed from the Me 262A-1a only in the installation of two holders for a pair of 250-kg or one 500-kg bomb. Bombing was carried out from a dive at an angle of 30 degrees at a speed of 850-900 km / h by the time the bomb was dropped at an altitude of 1000 m.

Two aircraft (Nos. 130 170 and 138 188) received a TSA low-altitude bombing sight installed in the nose. They received the designation Me 262A-2a / Ul and were tested in Rechlin. Armament was limited to a pair of 30 mm cannons.

Although the external installation of the sight increased air resistance, the speed of the Me 262A-2a ensured safety from interception by enemy fighters, and the dive speed allowed the Sturmvogel to operate even with complete Allied air superiority. Bombing accuracy was on par with the Fw 190, but the Me 262A-2a made it difficult to identify small targets. Usually, the target was approached in level flight until it was hidden under the left or right engine nacelle, after which the aircraft was introduced into a dive. It was important that the rear, main tank was already empty, otherwise, immediately after the bombs were dropped, the plane turned up its nose. To improve the accuracy of bombing, the Me 262 No. 110 484 was equipped with a Lotfe-7N gyro-stabilized sight.

The aircraft received the designation Me 262А-2a/U2. This scope required a second crew member. To do this, all small arms were removed, and the aircraft received a new wooden bow with a sight and a bench for the bombardier. The bomb load was the same as that of the Me 262A-2a.

There were several attempts to adapt the Me 262A for an attack aircraft, but the aircraft was not suitable for this. The MK 108 had too low a rate of fire to be used at low altitudes, and 360 rounds of ammunition were not enough to hit a target moving fast under the Me 262. In addition, the armor of the aircraft was completely insufficient to protect against fire from the ground. As a result, the new Me 262A-3a was developed specifically for the role of attack aircraft. While maintaining the armament of four guns and with the same ammunition, the aircraft received armor protection of the fuel tanks, floor and cabin walls, but it no longer made it into the series.

Despite the fact that by the autumn of 1943 the outcome of the war was already clear, a significant part of the Me-262A-1A was converted into the Me-262A-2a, equipped with underwing bomb holders.

The first combat unit that tested the Me-262A-2a in battle was the squadron of Major Wolfgang Schenck, formed in July 1944.

Four more units of fighter-bombers were formed on January 30, 1945, although only three of them participated in the battles - I / KG (J) 54, II / KG (J), III / KG (J) 6.

Modifications Weights: Empty: 4000kg (B-1a 4400kg); Loaded: 7045kg (B-1a 6400kg)

Performance: Maximum speed: Me 262A-1a: 540mph (870km/h); Me 262A-2a: 470 mph (755km/h); Me 262B-1a: 497 mph (800km/h)

Armament: Me 262A-1a: Four 30mm MK 108 cannon in nose -two with 100 rounds each, two with 80

Me 262A-1a/U1: two 30mm MK 103; two MK 108; two 20mm MG 151/20

Me 262A-1b: as A-1a plus 24 spin-stabilised R4/M 55mm rockets

Me 262A-2a: as A-1a plus bomb load of two 500kg bombs

Me 262B-1a: as A-1a

Me 262B-2a: as A-1A plus two inclined MK 108 behind the cockpit in Schrage Musik installation

(D) SG 500 Jagdfaust with 12 rifled mortar barrels inclined in nose

(E) 50mm MK 114 gun or 48 R4/M rockets

Photo	Description
	Drawing Me-262 A-2a
	The Me-262 (V 303) with the 1000 kg bomb

Bibliography

• "Aviation of Luftwaffe" /Viktor Shunkov/
• "Encyclopedia of military engineering" /Aerospace Publising/
• AIRCRAFT OF LUFTWAFFE FIGHTER ACES. A Chronicle in Photographs. /Bernd Barbas/