In the world of technology, there's often a fine line between success and failure. It's not just about developing a fantastic weapon, though that's a tall order in and of itself. Even after years of ...

While the numbers may be inflated, Luftwaffe pilots claimed that the Me 262 shot down 542 Allied aircraft during the war. Nazi Germany has long been begrudgingly admired for its technological ...

On this day in aviation history, 83 years ago (July 18, 1942), the Messerschmitt Me 262 prototype took to the skies for the first time under jet power. This historic flight marked the culmination of ...

While it wasn't the first jet-engined aircraft that flew, the ME-262 was the first operational jet-fighter. So many technical and political troubles struck its development that it began its career as ...

The first flyable replica Messerschmidt Me 262 has been damaged in a landing incident at the end of its second test flight. Project engineers are assessing damage caused by the collapse of the left ...

Click to open image viewer. CC0 Usage Conditions ApplyClick for more information. Nicknamed Schwalbe (Swallow), the Messerschmitt Me 262 surpassed the performance of every other World War II fighter.

The Me-262 is a jet that needs no introduction. Perhaps no German WWII fighter on this side of the Bf-109 and possibly the Fokke Wulf Fw-190 is as recognizable as the Me-262 jet. But for how ...

Pilots nicknamed early-model P-47 Thunderbolts the “Razorback,” a reference to the chunky fighter plane’s angular canopy. However, the name was more generally appropriate—like a wild boar, the hulking ...

The jet boasted a top speed of approximately 540 miles per hour, far surpassing the fastest Allied piston-engine fighters. There can be little doubt that, at least when the Second World War began, ...