Puneet Varma (Editor)

Messerschmitt Me 310

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Top speed
  
655 km/h

Length
  
12 m

Manufacturer
  
Messerschmitt

Wingspan
  
18 m

First flight
  
September 11, 1943

Messerschmitt Me 310 httpssmediacacheak0pinimgcom736xea6664

The Messerschmitt Me 310 was a prototype German heavy fighter of World War II. It was a project to save the aerdynamically troubled Me 210.

Contents

Design and development

The armament was to be the same as the Me 210 A-1: two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons, two 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine guns, and two remotely controlled, rearward-firing 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine guns. A single aircraft was built by converting a Me 210. It had a pressurised cockpit and was powered by two 1,380 kW (1,850 hp) Daimler-Benz DB 603A inline engines.

The Me 310 first flew on 11 September 1943, but the project was cancelled later the same year, as it showed hardly any aerodynamic improvement over the Me 210. A subsequent prototype, the Me 410 showed sufficient improvement in its aerodynamics to be put into production.

Specifications (Me 310)

Data from

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2 (pilot and gunner)
  • Length: 12.20 m (39 ft 8 in)
  • Wingspan: 17.90 m (58 ft 9 in)
  • Height: 4.30 m (14 ft 1 in)
  • Wing area: 37.7 m² (406 ft²)
  • Loaded weight: 11,050 kg (24,360 lb)
  • Powerplant: 2× Daimler-Benz DB 603A, 1,380 kW (1,850 hp) each

    • Performance

  • Maximum speed: 655 km/h (408 mph)
  • Range: 1,900 km (1,185 mi)
  • Service ceiling: 11,000 m (36,000 ft)

    • Armament

  • Guns: *2 × fixed, forward-firing 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons
  • 2 × fixed, forward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine guns
  • 2 × rearward-firing 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine guns in remote-controlled barbettes

    • References

    Messerschmitt Me 310 Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA