Tuesday 15 October 2019

Messerschmitt Bf.109X

The Messerschmitt Bf.109X was yet another variant of the Bf.109 with two sub-variants.
Its inception can be traced back to 1937 when, after the demonstration meeting in Zurich, Ernst Udet was receptive to the idea of creating an export version of the Bf.109 but powered with a different engine than the DB.601. The Pratt & Whitney R-1830 radial engine (AKA Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp) was chosen which could yield 1200 hp of theoretical power. Messerschmitt received a contract from RLM (Reich's Aviation Ministry) on 13th June 1938 to install the R-1830 on the Bf.109V-21. Apparently, it flew for the first time on 17th August 1939 at Augsburg. However, it's not known the exact date and most probably it had already flown before. In September 1940, as the first prototype wasn't very useful in combat, it was part of the Deutsche Versuchsanstalt für Luftfahrt - DVL (German Flight Research Institute) located at Brauschweig-Völkenrode. It's fate is unknown.
A further development was made as the BMW 801 radial engine became available. A single Bf.109F was fitted with the BMW 801, which became the prototype for the Bf.109X. The fuselage had a wider cross-section and it was fitted with a new canopy. Wing tips were like the ones found on the Bf.109E. It flew for the first time on 2nd September 1940 by Flugkapitän Fritz Wendel. Tests continued , in spite of the usual troubles with the BMW 801A engine, until early 1942, when development was stopped.
Testings showed that the engine behaved better when diving than the standard Daimler-Benz engine, but the BMW had some serious problems with the oiling system and didn't offer, overall, much more improvement when compared to the Bf.109F. After the Focke-Wulf Fw.190 entered service with the BMW 801 A engine the project Bf.109X was definitely cancelled and the prototype was destroyed in early 1942.










Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_variants#Bf_109X
2. http://www.germanaircraftwwii.org/2015/02/messerschmitt-bf-109x.html
3. AJ Press - Monografie Lotnicze 44 - Messerschmitt Me.109 Cz.3 (Translated)

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