Bf 162
Role	Light bomber Type of aircraft
Manufacturer	Messerschmitt
First flight	February 1937
Primary user	Luftwaffe
Number built	3
Developed from	Messerschmitt Bf 110

The Messerschmitt Bf 162 was a light bomber aircraft designed in Germany prior to World War II, which flew only in prototype form.

Design and development

The Bf 162 was designed in response to a 1935 RLM (Reichsluftfahrtministerium (Reich Aviation Ministry) specification for a schnellbomber ("fast bomber") for tactical use. Messerschmitt's design was a modified Bf 110 with a glazed nose to accommodate a bombardier. In 1937, three prototypes were flown against rival designs, the Junkers Ju 88 and the Henschel Hs 127, both entirely new aircraft.

It was eventually decided that the Ju 88 be selected for production, and development of the Bf 162 ended. As a disinformation tactic, images of the Bf 162 were widely circulated in the German press, captioned as the "Messerschmitt Jaguar", a name never used outside this context.^{[citation needed]}

This aircraft's RLM official airframe number of 8-162 was later re-used for the Heinkel He 162 jet fighter.

Specifications (Bf 162)

Data from Warplanes of the Third Reich ^[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: 3 (pilot, gunner, and bombardier/navigator)
• Length: 12.75 m (41 ft 10 in)
• Wingspan: 17.16 m (56 ft 4 in)
• Height: 3.58 m (11 ft 9 in)
• Airfoil: root: NACA 2R1 18.5; tip: NACA 2R1 11^[2]
• Empty weight: 5,810 kg (12,809 lb)
• Powerplant: 2 × Daimler-Benz DB 600Aa V-12 inverted liquid-cooled piston engines, 736 kW (987 hp) each
• Propellers: 3-bladed variable-pitch propellers

Performance

• Maximum speed: 480 km/h (300 mph, 260 kn) at 3,400 m (11,200 ft)
• Cruise speed: 425 km/h (264 mph, 229 kn) at 3,400 m (11,200 ft)
• Range: 782 km (486 mi, 422 nmi)
• Rate of climb: 9 m/s (1,800 ft/min)

Armament

• Guns: 1× 7.92 mm MG 15 machine gun in dorsal position
• Bombs: 10× 50 kg (110 lb) bombs internally and 2× 250 kg (550 lb) bombs externally (overload)