Messerschmitt Me 264
The Messerschmitt Me 264 Amerika (America) was a long-range strategic bomber aircraft developed during World War II for the Luftwaffe under the Reichsluftfahrtministerium's "Amerika Bomber" programme.
The bomber was to be capable of flying from Germany to New York City and back. One prototype was made but production was abandoned to allow Messerschmitt to concentrate on fighter production and because the Junkers Ju 390 had been selected in its place for the Amerika Bomber.
The Me 264 had four 1,700 hp (1.3 MW) BMW 801G engines and very little armor and guns in the interest of increasing fuel capacity. The heavy bomber would have had a crew of 5–6 and was nearly 21 metres long.
Specifcations
General characteristics
- Crew:
- Length: 20.9 m (68 ft 7 in)
- Wingspan: 43.0 m (141 ft)
- Height: 4.3 m (14 ft)
- Wing area: 127.8 m² (1,376 ft²)
- Empty: 21,150 kg (46,620 lb)
- Loaded: 23,000 kg (50,000 lb)
- Maximum takeoff: 56,000 kg (123,000 lb)
- Powerplant: 4× BMW 801G/H, 1,272 kW (1,730 hp) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 560 km/h (350 mph)
- Range: 14,900 km (9,260 miles)
- Service ceiling: 8,000 m (26,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: 120 m/min (390 ft/min)
- Wing loading: 180 kg/m² (36 lb/ft²)
- Power/mass: 0.23 kW/kg (0.14 hp/lb)
Armament
- 4× 13 mm (0.51 in) MG 131 machine guns
- 2× 20 mm (0.79 in) MG 151 cannon
- 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) of bombs
See Also
References and external links
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