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| Me 262 "Schwalbe" |
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Length: 16"
Wingspan: 8 1/2"
Scale: 1/26
Includes desk stand.
The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe ("Swallow") was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. It was produced in World War II and saw action starting in 1944 as a multi-role fighter/bomber/reconnaissance/interceptor warplane for the Luftwaffe. It has been considered the most advanced German aviation design in service and according to some Allied historians it was a plane that might have won the war by giving air supremacy back to the Luftwaffe, being much faster and more heavily armed than Allied fighters in service at that time such as the Gloster Meteor I. But it had a negligible impact on the course of the war due to its late introduction and the small numbers in service. It claimed a total of 509 Allied kills (although higher claims are sometimes made[Notes 1]) against the loss of about 100 Me 262s. The Me 262 influenced the designs of post-war aircraft such as the North American F-86 and Boeing B-47.
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