Thursday, 11 October 2018

Messerschmitt Me.163 'Komet' - Foreign users

Germany wasn't the only operator of the Me.163 as it was used, mostly post-war by the following countries.

  • United Kingdom: Twenty-one Me.163 were captured by the Royal Air Force at the end of the war but only three of them survived. The one depiceted below was sent to RAE Farnborough, where it was used as a glider, towed by a Spitfire as, apparently, the engine was damaged and couldn't ignite. It was used nonetheless for aerodynamic research and employed in an study for the feasibility of under-carriage-less naval fighters. At the end of the war it was repaired and was flown in different trials until 1947 when it was wrecked in a crash landing accident. 
  • France: After the war the United Kingdom sent at least one Me.163 to France as a gift. After being repainted in French markings and tested at the CEV Bretigny. Many of the research made served for the upcoming French rocket-research aircraft like the Leduc 0.21. After testing it was sold to private owners, in this case a company called "Avions Lootrade", where it was employed as an acrobatic aircraft.
  • Soviet Union: The USSR managed to capture many Me.163 during 1945 which were sent to the Research Institute for Aeronautics of the Soviet Air Forces (NII-VVS) where they were tested during 1945-1946. They tested not just the regular Me.163B-1b fighter but also the Me.163S version which was a two-seat training version and the aerodynamic research they got was used for later development of the earlier Soviet fighters.









Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Me_163_Komet
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

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