List of jet aircraft of World War II

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Messerschmitt Me 262, the most numerous jet fighter of World War II, in flight

This is a list of jet aircraft that were developed during the Second World War. Rockets and aircraft for which construction had not begun by the end of the war are excluded. Entries coloured in green were operational during the war. Production figures for aircraft used postwar include examples built after the war ended, of the same versions already flying during the war.

Aircraft

Aircraft Origin 1st
Flight
Date
Operational
#
built
Notes
Arado Ar 234 Germany June 1943 August 1944 250+ first jet bomber[1][2]
Bell P-59 Airacomet US October 1942 n/a 66 first USAAF jet to fly; used as trainer, production cancelled[3]
Bell XP-83 US February 1945 n/a 2 cancelled long-range escort fighter[4]
Caproni Campini N.1 Italy August 1940 n/a 2 first Italian thermojet[5]
Consolidated Vultee XP-81 US February 1945 n/a 2 cancelled mixed power fighter[6]
de Havilland Vampire F.1 UK September 1943 March 1946 244 postwar production[7]
Douglas XBTD-2 Destroyer US May 1944 n/a 2 cancelled mixed power torpedo bomber[8][9]
Douglas XB-43 Jetmaster US May 1946 n/a 2 cancelled jet bomber[notes 1]
Fieseler Fi 103R Reichenberg Germany September 1944 n/a 300 ready for operations late 1944, not used[notes 2][10]
Gloster E.28/39 UK April 1941 n/a 2 engine testbed and first Allied jet to fly.[11]
Gloster Meteor F.1 & F.3 UK March 1943 July 1944 250 first operational Allied jet & first jet on jet kill (over V-1 flying bomb).[12]
Heinkel He 162 Germany December 1944 February 1945 238+ lightweight interceptor[13]
Heinkel He 178 Germany August 1939 n/a 2 jet engine testbed and first jet aircraft to fly
Heinkel He 280 Germany September 1940 n/a 9 first jet fighter to fly, cancelled
Henschel Hs 132 Germany n/a n/a 4 dive bomber, captured before flown
Horten Ho 229 Germany December 1944 n/a 3 fighter/bomber, first jet powered flying wing[14]
Junkers Ju 287 V-1/2/3 Germany August 1944 n/a 1 multi-engine bomber[15]
Lockheed P-80A Shooting Star US January 1944 January 1945 361 first operational USAAF jet fighter[16]
McDonnell FD Phantom US January 1945 July 1947 62 postwar production, designation changed April 1946 to FH.[17][18]
Messerschmitt Me 262 Germany July 1942 June 1944 1,433 first operational jet fighter[19]
Messerschmitt Me 328 Germany 1944 (early) n/a 9 cancelled pulse jet fighter/bomber
Messerschmitt P.1101 Germany n/a n/a 2 captured before flown[20]
Mikoyan-Gurevich I-250 & MiG-13 USSR March 1945 n/a 28 mixed power thermojet fighter[21]
Nakajima Kikka Japan August 1945 n/a 1 jet interceptor, similar but smaller than Me 262[notes 3][22]
Northrop XP-79B US September 1945 n/a 1 cancelled after crash[23]
Ryan FR Fireball US June 1944 March 1945 66 US Navy mixed power, never saw combat[24]
Sukhoi Su-5 USSR April 1945 n/a 1 cancelled mixed power thermojet fighter[25]
Yokosuka MXY7 Model 22 Japan July 1945 n/a 50 kamikaze thermojet version built but not used[notes 4]


See also

References

Notes

  1. Development began in 1944, at an advanced state of development when the war ended.
  2. Manned variant of V-1 flying bomb intended for suicide attacks against high value targets
  3. 22 additional Kikkas were near completion when the end of the war ended production.
  4. Jet engine powered version of rocket kamikaze "Ohka" Suicide Attacker, only three engines were available for the 50 airframes.

Citations

  1. Smith, 1984, pp.2, 8 & frontispiece
  2. Nohara, 1996, p.72
  3. Pelletier, 1992, pp.50-54
  4. Pelletier, 1992, pp.61-62
  5. Smith, 1941, p.c
  6. Ginter, 2007
  7. Harrison, 2000, pp.2, 8 & 14
  8. Kowalski, 1995, pp.42-43
  9. Francillon, 1979, pp.356-360
  10. Myhra, 2007, pp.3, 6
  11. Kershaw, 2004, pp.38, 54
  12. Butler, 2006, pp.15, 23, 26, 48 & 105
  13. Smith, 1986, pp.6, 12 & frontispiece
  14. Daprowski, 1991, pp.5
  15. Hitchcock, 1974
  16. Francillon, 1987, pp.235-243
  17. Ginter, 1981, pp.2 & 19
  18. Francillon, 1990, pp.65-67
  19. Baker, 1997, pp.7, 8, 31, 77, 111 & 128
  20. Myhra, 1999
  21. Gunston, 1999, pp.40-43
  22. Mikesh, 1979, pp.1 & 31
  23. Anderson, 1976, pp.76-78
  24. Ginter, 1995, p.3 & 45
  25. Antonov, 1996, pp.68-69

Bibliography

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