The Messerschmitt Me 328 was a prototype pulsejet-powered fighter aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt AG.
The Me 328 was originally designed as the P.1073 in 1941, having been envisioned as a parasite aircraft that would protect Luftwaffe bomber formations from Allied fighter aircraft. Being largely composed of wood, the Me 328 was forecast to be several times cheaper than the cost of traditional German fighter aircraft, such as the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 or Bf 109. It was proposed to use various forms of propulsion, including a single Jumo 004 turbojet engine, either two or four Argus As 014 pulsejets (as used on the V-1 flying bomb), and even as an unpowered glider. The Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS - "German Research Institute for Sailplane Flight") was also involved in its development.
Making its maiden flight during Spring 1944, the compact fighter was powered by a pair of As 014 pulsejets. However, these engines were fairly unsuitable, producing excessive resonance, asymmetry, and noise; accordingly, the manned flight programme was suspended after only a few test flights. During its protracted development, a wide variety of other roles were explored for the Me 328; at Adolf Hitler's direction, resources were invested into its potential use as a bomber. As the conflict turned increasingly in favour of the Allies, the Me 328 project was resurrected for consideration as a Selbstopfer (suicide weapon) aircraft, but was deemed to be unsuitable even for this purpose. None were ever used in an operational capacity.
^Nowarra 1993, pp. 238–241.
and 25 Related for: Messerschmitt Me 328 information
The MesserschmittMe328 was a prototype pulsejet-powered fighter aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt AG....
designer Willy Messerschmitt from mid-July 1938 onwards, and known primarily for its World War II fighter aircraft, in particular the Bf 109 and Me 262. The...
The MesserschmittMe 262, nicknamed Schwalbe (German: "Swallow") in fighter versions, or Sturmvogel (German: "Storm Bird") in fighter-bomber versions,...
The MesserschmittMe 309 was a prototype German fighter, designed in the early years of World War II to replace the Messerschmitt Bf 109. Although it...
The first MesserschmittMe 209 was a single-engine racing aircraft which was designed for and succeeded at breaking speed records. This Me 209 was a completely...
The MesserschmittMe 210 was a German heavy fighter and ground-attack aircraft of World War II. Design started before the war, as a replacement for the...
Il-2. Another Messerschmitt aircraft, first called "Bf 109R", purpose-built for record setting, but later redesignated MesserschmittMe 209, broke the...
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter...
The MesserschmittMe 323 Gigant ("Giant") was a German military transport aircraft of World War II. It was a powered variant of the Me 321 military glider...
The MesserschmittMe 264 was a long-range strategic bomber developed during World War II for the German Luftwaffe as its main strategic bomber. The design...
MesserschmittMe 163 Komet is a rocket-powered interceptor aircraft primarily designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt...
The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often known unofficially as the Me 110, is a twin-engined Zerstörer (destroyer, heavy fighter), fighter-bomber (Jagdbomber or...
MesserschmittMe 321 Gigant was a large German cargo glider developed and used during World War II. Intended to support large-scale invasions, the Me...
The MesserschmittMe 265 was a design project for a Zerstörer (“Destroyer;” heavy fighter), produced by leading German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt...
The MesserschmittMe 410 Hornisse (Hornet) is a German heavy fighter and Schnellbomber, or "Fast Bomber" in English, used by the Luftwaffe during World...
manned Fi 103 had been considered but passed over for the rival MesserschmittMe328 project. However, this aircraft had fundamental difficulties with...
190 was carried as a protective escort fighter. The Dornier Do 217/MesserschmittMe328 escort fighter project was unsuccessful due to engine problems. Other...
The MesserschmittMe 310 was a prototype German heavy fighter of World War II. It was a project to save the aerodynamically troubled Me 210. The armament...
Due to the Messerschmitt Bf 109's versatility and time in service with the German and foreign air forces, numerous variants were produced in Germany to...
The MesserschmittMe 609 (alternatively Me 309 Zwilling) was a World War II German project which joined two fuselages of the Me 309 fighter prototype...
The MesserschmittMe 263 Scholle (plaice) was a rocket-powered fighter aircraft developed from the Me 163 Komet towards the end of World War II. Three...
The MesserschmittMe 261 (unofficially nicknamed Adolfine) was a long-range reconnaissance aircraft designed in the late 1930s. It looked like an enlarged...
Global Information