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Me 409B users

The Me 409 was also supplied to Germany's allies and built under license, with German engines, by Messerchmitt in Hungary, IAR in Romania and Hispano in Spain.



There were variants of the Me 409B for reconnaissance (B-1/R-3, without weapons) and night fighter (B-1/U-4N with Neptun radar and Naxos receiver), but the Ar 234 and Me 262 were favored. There were also versions with increased weapons (B2/U3 with 50 mm MG 214 cannon, or B-3/U-4 with two 30 mm MG 108), but again the Me 262 was preferred and few aircraft were built. The B-3/U-6 carried a Walter HWK 109 rocket engine. Two B-3/U-6s were fitted with naval equipment (called Me 409BM-1) and were tried on the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin.

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Tu regere imperio fluctus Hispane memento

Me 409D and Me 409EM

In 1945 the Me 409D was introduced. It had HeS 006D engines with 930 kg thrust, more fuel, strengthened structure, armoured windscreen and hardpoints for bombs or rockets. The MG 151 cannon was replaced by two MG 213/20, and it was able to fit a container with a 30 mm MK 103 cannon. Although was intended to replace the Hs 129, it was too vulnerable to ground fire and normally was a escort for the fighter-bombers Fw 190 and Ju 287.



The Marineflieger needed a jet for its new aircraft carriers, but required a rocket booster for takeoffs. The Me 409EM-1 was based on the Me 409D and had forward moved cabin, folding wings, naval equipment, 1050 kg push engines and a Walter rocket. It became operational in 1946 and was used in post-war colonial operations. The aircraft drawing carries R9M rockets and the massive R24M 240 mm rockets.

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Tu regere imperio fluctus Hispane memento

Me 411 and Me 413

The Marineflieger also ordered a two-seat version for training, called Me 411. The Me 411AM-1 maintained the naval equipment, and the AM-2 was a ground version. They only carried two MG 131 13 mm machine guns, rockets and practice bombs.



At the end of the war the Me 409 was surpassed by the new jets and was withdrawn by the Luftwaffe. However the production of the Me 411 continues because it was cheaper than Me 262B. Was produced in great numbers for the Luftwaffe and for another air forces . Italy and Argentina also purchased the Me 411AM-1 for their naval aviations.

The Me 411C could carry the weapons of the Me 409D and was used as a strike fighter in colonial wars. In 1952 the Me 411D appeared, a single-seater strike dedicated version.

The Me 411 stayed in service at the Luftwaffe until 1974, and more in other countries. The latest were the Me 411Ds of the Bolivian Air Force, which were withdrawn in 2006.



The Marineflieger requested a seaplane for the defense of insular bases, and the Luftwaffe was also interested to use from rivers and lakes in the event of nuclear war. The Me 413 had a retractable central float and two on the wings that folded at the wingtips. Its performance was close to that of the Me 409 and in 1949 a naval and a land staffels were established. However, the Me 413 could'nt intercept jet bombers, and not carry rockets or missiles. In 1951 was withdrawn. Fourteen aircraft were loaned to India which deployed them in the Bay of Bengal.

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Tu regere imperio fluctus Hispane memento

Me 409 and derivatives in Indian service



Me 409C and D, Me 411 and Me 413 were heavily used in India's civil war between 1949 and 1954. In combat the Me 409 was comparable to F-80 or Gloster Meteor, but was inferior to the F-86. Was used as a fighter-bomber and was very appreciated for its reliability. It was very appreciated for its resistance and for being capable of operation from short runways. India purchased aircraft withdrawn by the Luftwaffe, and kept them in service in attack squadrons until 1965.

Greetings

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Tu regere imperio fluctus Hispane memento

-Full background story to be added, hopefully coming soon -

The D.24 was a fighter build by Fokker in the 1950's designed around the Derwent 8 engine. Fokker, not having the resources or experience to build the 'best' fighters, decided to build a fighter and a trainer sharing the same airframe but with a different nose. These aircraft, the D.24 and S.14 were rugged, reliable, stable and easy to fly jet aircraft that would prove popular by both the pilots and the people they were 'protecting'.

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Drawings are credited with J.Scholtens
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Shipbucket Wiki admin

After the end of Second Great War Russia found itself as a terrifyingly powerful land power with Hegemony over most of the northern old world. But unlike all other powers it had no strategic bombers or any jet aircraft of any kind. This worried the The Central Directory of Air Defence. The Directory knew that the other major powers could and would overfly any Russian interceptors which were almost entirely geared towards mid level interception as the Eastern Front of the Second Great War was fought at fought at low and medium altitudes. But the Russians did have the advantage in they had captured the lion's share of German Scientists who had 'Volunteered' their services to the Great Russian Union and as such both jet and radar technology surged ahead and despite Russia being behind in such endeavourers it was quickly on par with the likes of France, Britain and Netherlands but by 1948 they still had to yet put said technologies into an aircraft.

This was about to change as a tender was put out to the major designers to come up with an interceptor capable of defending the airspace from the massive nuclear armed bombers of the Pact. At least 6 different aircraft were submitted to compete but the only one that even came close to the specifications of the tender was designed by young Andrey Pavlovich Chekov who had mostly been designing small unbuilt single seat fighters.

The main issue was that current Russian jets weren't powerful enough yet to meet the demands of the prospective aircraft and while normally this would end very badly for such designers of said jets they did have one lifeline in the sale of a British made engine just before the relations between Russia and the Pact began to sour a year prior. They had spent most of the last year making at first a copy and then improvements. By the time the Okhrana had began to knock on the engineers'' doors this new engine was ready for testing in Chekov's new aircraft.

The new engine was a success and all past failures were forgiven and forgotten. It was first designated the RD-35 due to conflicts with Rocket engines also being developed at the time, it was quickly rechristened the SO-1 after the two main designers, two men called Skorobogatov and Obolensky, who quickly were allowed to form their own engine development house.

With a pair of these new engines each putting out 8,500 lbf of thrust each the Chekov Ch-14 was able to reach 40,000 feet in record time for a Russian aircraft and was able to fly at close to 1000 kph (621 MPH) at 45,000 feet which was considered ideal for it's role as an heavy interceptor. To further it's capabilities it was also given a radar set in it's upper nose to scan for targets on it's own rather than completely relying on ground stations a first for a Russian aircraft. Another first was the use of a radar gunsight which took the form of a bulge under the nose and to the right of the large 37mm cannon.

Speaking of armament it was very heavy almost obsessively so with 4 23mm and a high velocity 37mm cannon all in the nose. In addition to the many rockets it could carry on it's wings but that was rarely used.

The first prototype flew in late 1948 with a limited production series of 10 aircraft following suit in early 1949. Five of them were present at the Victory Parade in May of that year showing off the new interceptor to both the entire Greater Russian Union and the rest of the world. This sparked a bit of a panic in the air forces of the Pact as their large piston powered strategic bombers were now seriously threatened by Russian aircraft for the first time, and the fact that Russia's Military seemed to not have a budget meant that full on mass production was being ramped up very soon. They also knew that Russia's puppets and allies would also receive this aircraft in large numbers with possible local production of airframes. But the priority of the Central Directory of Air Defence was reequipping both the Air Defence Forces and the All Russia Airfleet and they had well over 2000 aircraft on order in June 1949 with deliveries starting by December of that year.

The Curtiss-Wright Corporation, through the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, had been an early pioneer in the field of naval aviation. A Curtiss Model D had been the first aircraft to take off from a ship, and the company’s flying boats found service all over the world. During the Second World War, that legacy became a distant memory. Expensive projects such as the XF14C and the XSB3C had been cancelled without any orders. By 1945, the future of fixed-wing Curtiss-Wright aircraft rested on two designs: the XF15C and the XF-87 Blackhawk. The former was a mixed-propulsion fighter powered by a Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp radial engine and an Allis-Chalmers J36 turbojet. A prototype flew that year. The latter was a large jet-powered interceptor being developed for the United States Air Force. It only existed on paper.

Mixed-propulsion solved the poor fuel efficiency and short life of early jet engines, but technology was advancing rapidly. As official interest waned, Curtiss-Wright investigated the possibility of adding a second jet engine as a replacement for the Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp. The first drawings were complete in June 1946. Four months later, the United States Navy threatened to terminate the XF15C contract. Through careful negotiation, Curtiss-Wright was able to modify the existing terms. It would no longer be developing a mixed-propulsion carrier fighter. It would instead be designing a jet-powered night fighter. The modified XF15C would be allowed to compete with the Grumman XF9F-1 and the Douglas XF3D as the Curtiss-Wright XF16C.

In October 1947, the first XF16C took to the skies. It was one of three prototypes ordered under the modified contract. By December, the second and third prototypes were delivered to the Naval Air Test Center in Patuxent River for evaluation. All three were built to a common design, though a rushed development process had led to variations in quality. The XF16C was propelled by two Allis-Chalmers J36 turbojets producing a combined thrust of 24 kN (5,400 lbf). A clone of the de Havilland Goblin, the J36 was large for the amount of thrust it produced. However, as it had been employed on the XF15C, it was considered a safe option. The XF-87 Blackhawk would test the more advanced Westinghouse J34 in due course. Unfortunately, this decision meant that the XF16C would have a gross weight 9,750 kg (21,495 lb). Though less than that of the XF3D, it was substantially heavier than most contemporary fighters of the United States Navy. It was no small aircraft either, with a wingspan of 14.8 m (48.6 ft). Folding wings were carried over from the XF15C. So too was the landing gear, which was a tricycle design. The armament, four 20 mm (0.79 in) M2 cannon, was also identical. The XF16C carried a single pilot, who had to operate a Westinghouse radar while performing his traditional duties.



Unfortunately for Curtiss-Wright, selecting the J36 proved to be a poor decision. The XF16C had a thrust-to-weight ratio comparable to the first Gloster Meteors and was underpowered in comparison to the XF3D. In 1946, the United States Navy chose to abandon the XF16C in favour of the Douglas design. This became the F3D Skynight. This news was soon followed by the cancellation of the XF-87 Blackhawk. It too was deemed underpowered and the United States Air Force chose the Lockheed F-94 Starfire instead. An offer to replace the Blackhawk with the XF16C was rejected almost immediately. To make matters worse, few customers were available elsewhere. Most countries were content with post-war surplus at the time, and those that weren’t generally had a healthy domestic aviation industry. Britain’s decision to loan or sell its Colossus class aircraft carriers could have been a valuable opportunity if it were not for the fact that the XF16C was far too heavy for smaller British carriers. The corporation was dead in the water.

In 1949, Curtiss-Wright abandoned the XF-87 Blackhawk entirely and laid off the team that had designed it. Two derivatives of the XF16C would be developed for export. The CW-30A was to be a land-based aircraft, while the CW-30B would be a carrier-capable design. As the number of aircraft carriers in the world was limited, development of the former would be prioritised. Smaller engines would be employed, reducing weight and size. The night fighter role was retained, as there were doubts that Curtiss-Wright could compete directly with transonic aircraft such as the F-86 Sabre then entering service. Both variants would be marketed under the name ‘Firehawk’, harkening back to the famous Hawk. 1952 saw the first flight of the CW-30A Firehawk. Curtiss-Wright’s marketing men then caroused with officers and politicians around the world.

Orders were not forthcoming. As before, most nations were content with post-war surplus or developing their own designs. In time, American materiel aid would also erode sales opportunities. There was, however, a country which had an alarming need for modern combat aircraft. The Republic of China, facing regular intrusions from the mainland, saw the CW-30A Firehawk as a valuable asset. In 1953, they ordered 54 from Curtiss-Wright. Deliveries occurred between 1954 and 1956. The Firehawks supplied to China were equipped with two General Electric J47-GE-27 turbojets producing a combined thrust of 54 kN (11,940 lbf). Fuel consumption and aerodynamic limitations limited the prospects offered by this massive increase in thrust. However, a pair of wingtip fuel tanks were added to increase range. The four cannons which had armed the XF16C were replaced with six AN/M3 12.7 mm (0.5 in) machine guns which were believed to be more reliable. During the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis of 1958, Chinese Firehawks shot down three MiG-15s and MiG-17s. Six were modified with American technical assistance to carry the Sidewinder air-to-air missile, and two of the three kills achieved involved this weapon. This modification was later applied to all Chinese Firehawks. Two Firehawks were lost to enemy action. Despite proving itself in combat, the Firehawk did not last long in Chinese service. It was supplemented by the North American F-86D in 1960 and withdrawn in 1964 after large numbers of Lockheed F-104 Starfighters became available.



The Chinese order was soon followed by Canadian interest in the carrier-capable CW-30B. The Royal Canadian Navy, then equipped with the Hawker Sea Fury, had expressed its intent to purchase the McDonnel F2H Banshee in 1951. However, budget limitations prevented the placement of an order before production of the Banshee ceased in 1953. Canada could purchase second-hand Banshees from the United States Navy, but these aircraft would be worn. Parts availability was also a concern. No other force operated the Banshee and new ones would not be appearing off the line anytime soon. Curtiss-Wright was more than happy to step in. In 1955, the Royal Canadian Navy ordered 39 CW-30B Firehawks. These aircraft included the landing hook and folding wings which existed on the XF16C but had been deleted for the land-based CW-30A. Another difference between the Chinese CW-30A and the Canadian CW-30B was the replacement of the two wingtip tanks with a pair of smaller tanks protruding beneath the fuselage. This was done to reduce the height of the aircraft while the wings were folded. The armament was also changed, with two Colt Mk 12 20 mm (0.79 in) cannon replacing the six machine guns. From 1959, this armament was supplemented with a pair of Sidewinder missiles. Canadian Firehawks flew from HMCS Bonaventure, a Majestic class aircraft carrier. Though the carrier would have been incapable of operating the XF16C, the lighter Firehawk proved to be more than capable. Unfortunately, the Firehawk did not last long in Canadian service. It was retired in 1963 without replacement as the Royal Canadian Navy shifted its attention to anti-submarine warfare.



Interest in the CW-30A dwindled as former United States Air Force aircraft of a similar or greater calibre became available. European designs such as the Hawker Hunter also limited Curtiss-Wright sales. However, another customer was soon found for the CW-30B. In 1959, the Argentine Navy placed an order for 15 naval Firehawks. In theory, these planes would serve alongside the F9F Panthers embarked on the Colossus class aircraft carrier ARA Independencia. The basic Colossus design was incapable of recovering the Firehawk in normal conditions. It was too heavy. However, as HMS Warrior, Independencia had received a strengthened deck. CW-30Bs manufactured for the Argentine order were slightly different to their Canadian counterparts. Four weapon pylons were included from the beginning. The two inner pylons could carry additional fuel instead of a missile. Unfortunately, the Firehawk never entered Argentine service. Argentine Naval Aviation declared the F9F Panther to be too heavy for operations aboard Independencia, and the Firehawk was heavier. It cancelled its order in 1960.



The Indian Navy, then in the process of adopting the Hawker Sea Hawk, expressed interest in acquiring the Argentine order. The night fighting capability of the Firehawk could complete the day fighting abilities of the Sea Hawk. The 15 Argentine CW-30Bs entered Indian service in 1961 and served aboard INS Vikrant. A further 15 were ordered from Curtiss-Wright in 1964. Unlike those aircraft destined for China and Canada, the Firehawks delivered to India had a relatively long and prosperous career. In the 1965 war with Pakistan, Indian Firehawks flew from land bases to protect naval installations from attack. While no kills were reported, no losses occurred either. In the 1971 war, Firehawks operating from Vikrant covered naval operations in the Bay of Bengal. Pakistani resistance in the air was minimal at sea, but four victories were recorded. After the conflict, Firehawks continued to operate from Vikrant until 1983 when they were phased out in favour of the Sea Harrier.



In the uncertainty that followed the cancellation of the XF16C and the XF-87 Blackhawk, many at Curtiss-Wright thought that the corporation would leave the aircraft business and focus on engines. While the Firehawk was a minor success, it only delayed the inevitable. After the second Indian order, no other customers for the Firehawk were found. A swept-wing derivative known as the CW-30C was proposed in 1965. It would have been an attack aircraft, eliminating the need for a high-performance design. However, all work was terminated in 1967. In that year, Curtiss-Wright turned away from fixed-wing aircraft. The Firehawk would be its last.

Hello y'all Here is my entry,

Reggiane Re. 2010 Jet Fighter

Jet technology were not a new things for Italy,in fact Italy is one of the early player on Jet Engine development and Italy manage to came became the second nation to flew a jet propelled aircraft in 1940 with its Caproni-Campini experimental planes,however as Italy enter the Second World War, Jet Aircraft development were severly affected by the war,although with German assistance especially the engines,in early 1945,Italy managed to be the third nation to field jet fighter into service,the Fiat G.60 which were developed from piston engined G.55 ,and its subsequent Re. 2007 which were fully developed as jet fighter from the start.but when the Regia Aeronautica introduced the Re. 2007,it became notorious that it would be obsolete in short time as US and British Government in-exile based in Canada,were already field a new type of jet fighter,and subsequent speedy development in Germany and Japan that led Italy to commence work on Re. 2010 which would replaced the Re. 2007 by 1949.





Italian engineer also develop a derivatives of Re.2010 included the two seater trainer aircraft to mainly train Italian pilots into jet age aircraft,Re.2010 CA which are a Re 2010 with 2x37mm cannon modello 1938 but were problematic as gun exhaust were sucked into engines,causing many problems and Re.2010 AA which were a experimental aircraft for High Altitude with extended wings







RAI also experimenting with ZELL launcher of Re.2010 to minimize the usage of runway in Italy and its African colony,thus reducing its vulnerability to air strikes although this idea were never pursue beyond testing



Many Italy's Co-Belligirient were also operating the Re. 2010 included Spain,Finland and Hungary







it has a armament of 4x 20mm cannon and have a top speed of 1240 kph

Sorry if the description were too short as im running out of time and im need to sleep as im gonna go to my irl hurdle early tomorrow

Thats all Folks!

I know some of you think this straddles the line as for what constitutes a first-gen jet fighter, but I'm time limited at the moment and so I had to go with my original design. If I get time I'll provide more detail, but this was all I managed to achieve so far

Western Aerojet WJ1 Wedgetail

In 1946, the Royal Westralian Air Force identified a requirement for a new jet-powered interceptor, to follow its recently ordered P-82 Twin Mustangs. The aircraft would need to have long range so as to operate over the vast distances required by the lack of airbases in Westralia, and be capable of intercepting jet-borne bombers at altitudes of up to 50000ft. Westralia had virtually no experience in jet-technology at the time, but research and design studies began in earnest in 1947. Original concepts were remarkably similar to the CF-100 Canuck under development in Canada, defined by a straight wing and two axial flow jet engines mounted either side of the fuselage. However, it soon became evident that the newest jet-bombers coming into service and in development, such as the English Electric Canberra, required an aircraft of increased performance over that of the original specifications. Western Aerojet, under contract for the development of the jet, looked into recent findings regarding swept-wing aircraft and the transonic speed regime, and resolved to redevelop their original concepts into a long-range transonic interceptor. By late-1951 they had finalised the design and completed the first prototype. Dubbed Wedgetail, the new all-weather interceptor had two crew-members and an APQ-33 radar set (later replaced by and APG-40 set), operated by the second crewman. Main armament was a single tray of 24 unguided Mk4 Mighty Mouse rockets. Following extensive testing, the first Wedgetails entered service in 1954, finally replacing the now obsolete F-82. In total, 48 Wedgetails across two main variants were purchased by the RWAF, and served until 1963.





Specifications
Crew: 2
Length: 18.31m
Wingspan: 14.59m
Height: 4.63m
Empty Weight: 28000lb
MTOW: 50000lb
Powerplant: 2 x Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire 6/7
Speed: 1046 km/h
Range: 2200 nm
Service Ceiling: 48000ft
Rate of Climb: 5000ft/min

Hello all, here is my entry:

Messerschmitt Me 245 "Adler" (Eagle)

Since the 1930's, Heinkel, Junkers, and BMW had been looking into developing viable axial-flow turbojets for combat aircraft, this eventually culminated in the Messerschmitt Me 245 "Adler". The Eagle itself was descended from the Me 243 "Falke" "Falcon", a straight-wing fighter developed by Willy Messerschmitt in the mid-1930s. Initially, the planned engines for its use had ran into some setbacks, so the initial flights were first conducted with a Jumo 210G piston engine attached to the nose. Later on, various engines such as the BMW P.3304, BMW P.3302, Jumo 004, and eventually the HeS 011 engines were fitted to the Me 245 as the Second World War raged on. Designed in 1938 from the ground up as an air-superiority fighter, it was eventually tasked with defending the skies against growing Allied bomber raids and overall Allied air superiority over the skies of Germany and its Axis-aligned partners, nearly always being outnumbered but never necessarily outgunned with a standard armament of 4x3cm MK 108 guns. This armament was augmented with an increased number of 3cm guns (Me 245A-1/U5), or heavier caliber weapons (the 5cm MK 214A/B and 5.5cm MK 114/412 cannons).
(More to be edited in a bit later)

Development and Variants of the Me 245 "Adler":


Camouflage Schemes:

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