Inside the Me 163 Komet -Hw
This is the Me 163 Komet, the only rocket-powered fighter ever built in large numbers and used in real combat. In 1941 an early version of this plane was the first to hit 1,000 kilometers per hour in level flight, It was built for one job — short missions to attack incoming Allied bombers just before they could reach their target.
We’ve recreated the Me 163 in detail to see how the German engineers designed this extraordinary interceptor. In this film, we’ll be looking at the Me 163B-1a production version that fought from 1944 to 1945. We’ll be showing it with the radiant red coating from the earlier test planes. My name is David Webb, and this is Blue Paw Print.
The Me 163 was small for such an advanced aircraft, at just 8 feet 3 inches tall and 19 feet 5 inches long, only about half the length of a modern school bus. The aircraft’s wingspan was 30 feet 6 inches. The fuselage was built primarily from duralumin and steel. Its construction followed a semi-monocoque principle, with formers and stringers carrying most of the structural load.
Bulkheads separated the nose section, cabin, fuel tank, engine, and tail section. Each section was bolted to the bulkheads. The skin covering the airframe was also made from duralumin alloy, with the tail covered in steel, riveted to the structure. This gave the aircraft its compact and highly aerodynamic bat-like shape.
The aircraft’s empty weight was 4,200 pounds and it could take off at weights of over twice that up to 9,500 pounds when fully loaded. The fuselage of the plane was built in several parts, which were easy to assemble and disassemble, with many access panels to make it simple to perform maintenance and repair.
The engine was mounted onto one compact unit, fixed to the rear bulkhead of the fuel tank section of the plane. The tail housed the rocket motor’s nozzle and the tailwheel assembly. The vertical fin was mounted above this rear section. Because of the plane’s small size, the onboard batteries had limited capacity.
So the Germans added a small wind generator to the nose of the fuselage which was powered by the small propeller looking device at the front of the plane. This produced electricity for the radio, instruments, and weapons, while the plane was in flight. The wings were where the Me 163’s advanced design really stood out.
They were relatively thick, about 15.4 inches at their widest section, and swept back at a 25-degree angle. This sweep angle turned out to be optimal for subsonic speeds, giving the plane exceptional stability and control. This design also made it a highly effective glider. The main wing structure was made from plywood with two plywood spars in each wing: a forward box spar, and a rear single spar.
The wing outline was plywood as well, with the inner framework built from laminated wood. Strong glued clamps held everything together. The wing surface was also plywood covered with doped fabric. A static wing slat, known as the slot, was located right behind the outer leading edge of each wing. This helped reduce the stall speed and made the plane more controllable at slow speeds, especially during landing approaches.
Each wing had two fuel tanks, one 19-gallon tank in front of the main spar and a 47-gallon tank behind the main spar. These held C-Stoff which we’ll talk about later in this film. Each wing connected to a steel wing root fairing on the fuselage using three strong points: two on the main spar and one on the secondary spar.
The fixings were made of steel and fitted with bolts. The wing root fairings held the main weapons of the plane, two MK 108 30mm cannons. A protruding Pitot tube on the wing measured airflow velocity to determine the speed of the aircraft. For transport by rail or truck, the wings could be taken off completely and placed alongside the plane, allowing it to fit a standard railroad car on Germany’s rail network The test pilots were not pleased with the red color scheme of the earlier test units, which resembled the Red Baron a little too much.
For the Me 163B-1a it was changed to the more traditional Luftwaffe camo patterns. The Me 163’s unconventional tail design required a different approach to flight control. Due to the extremely hot rocket exhaust, conventional stabilizers with elevators would have warped or even caught fire. So they were removed on the Me 163 design, and instead, the main wings used elevons, surfaces that combined the functions of elevators and ailerons.
When both elevons were in an upward position, the nose would pitch up, and when both elevons were in a downward position, the nose would pitch down. When the elevon on the right wing was up and the left was down, the plane would roll to the right, and vice versa. The elevons could move 12 degrees up and 16 degrees down when controlling pitch, or up to 11 degrees up and 14.5 degrees down when working as ailerons.
The vertical fin featured a rudder that could swing 35 degrees in either direction and controlled the yaw of the plane. The tailwheel was mechanically linked to the rudder. On the ground, the plane did not taxi but it was towed into position. The rudder pedals were just used to keep the plane on a straight path during takeoff.
Large flaps were located under the wings which were used only during landing. These could extend 45 degrees downwards. Trim flaps were placed between the fuselage and the elevons. The Me 163 was built to destroy bombers. The two 30mm MK 108 cannons made by Rheinmetall-Borsig weighed 137 pounds each and were designed specifically for this job.
The length of each gun was 3.48 feet and its barrel 1.9 feet. The electro-pneumatic system cycled through each shot at 650 rounds per minute, with the muzzle velocity at 1,706 feet. With 60 rounds per gun, holding the trigger down would empty both weapons in less than six seconds. Each shell weighed 0.66 pounds and carried 0.18 pounds of explosive charge.
They had very thin walls to maximize explosion. Normal 20mm guns often needed 20 hits or so to take down a heavy bomber. The Me 163’s cannons could destroy a B-17 with just four hits. A single direct hit was often enough to wipe out a fighter. Due to its distinctive pounding sound Allied aircrews called the MK 108 the “pneumatic hammer.
” The guns usually were set to converge at around 500 to 550 yards . The defining feature of the Me 163 was the Walter HWK 109-509A-1 rocket engine Weighing 375 pounds, it consisted of two main assemblies connected by a cylindrical thrust tube. The forward assembly was roughly cube-shaped It housed the turbine, fuel pumps, control box, electric starter motor and pressure-reducing valves.
The rear assembly contained the combustion chamber with 12 individual injector jets arranged in four groups of three. Starting the engine was a complicated process. Pressing the starter button kicked off a small steam generator. The steam spun a turbine, which powered the fuel pumps. After a few seconds, the turbine would reach its idle speed of around 25% of its maximum RPM.
Before ignition, part of the steam was flushed through the combustion chamber and nozzle to clear out anything that might cause a misfire. The rest vented under the tail as visible white clouds. The throttle had four settings. At idle, no fuel entered the combustion chamber, the steam kept the pumps running at low pressure and fuel valves stopped fuel from entering the combustion chamber.
At minimum power, the steam flow to the chamber stopped. The turbine spun faster, pumps delivered fuel through the first set of regulator valves, and the first group of injectors would fire. This produced 247 pounds of thrust. Medium power activated the second valve set and the second injector group. Maximum power engaged all valves and all 12 injectors, delivering 3,527 pounds of thrust.
It was a complex system and it only existed because aviation officials demanded variable thrust. In theory, the low setting was meant to save fuel at high altitude, but in practice, it barely helped. Even at reduced thrust, the engine burned fuel very quickly. At full power, it could only run for about seven and a half minutes, just enough time to climb, attack, and try to make it back to base without power.
For the fuel, the Me 163 used T-Stoff and C-Stoff compounds. The T-Stoff was a strong mix of hydrogen peroxide and water, it acted like the oxygen supply for the engine and a source of steam for the steam turbine. C-Stoff was a mix of methanol and hydrazine, and provided the fuel. The two components were hypergolic, which means that they ignited spontaneously when they came into contact with each other.
The Me 163 featured three T-Stoff tanks with a total capacity of 306.5 gallons. Two small 16-gallon tanks sat next to the pilot in the cockpit, and a huge 275-gallon main tank was placed right behind the seat. Regular steel tanks were replaced with aluminium to prevent T-Stoff from triggering corrosive reactions that could quickly weaken the metal.
C-Stoff was carried in four steel tanks lined with enamel inside the wings. Altogether, they could hold 132 gallons. All of the tanks were cushioned with rubber bands to prevent friction and leaks. If a leak ever did occur, the T-Stoff could dissolve organic tissue on contact. Small spills were life-threatening for pilots.
And because of this, they wore heavy protective suits whenever they were inside the cabin. The Me 163 was a single-seat aircraft. A 0.6-inch conical nose plate protected the front, while bulletproof glass shielded the pilot from incoming fire. Additional armor plates protected the pilot’s back, head, and shoulders.
Directly in front of the pilot was the main instrument panel arranged in two rows. The upper row housed the airspeed indicator, artificial horizon, and rate of climb indicator. The lower row contained the altimeter, tachometer which measured turbopump RPM, and a fuel gauge. The panel also included a clock and a compass for navigation, a thrust indicator, a temperature gauge, and a fuel pressure indicator for engine monitoring.
Warning lights showed the status of electrical systems, radio equipment, and oxygen supply. The standard Luftwaffe Revi.16b gunsight sat above the instrument panel for aiming the cannons. Behind the panel was the radio and battery system. The control stick and rudder pedals provided flight control, while the trim regulator allowed for fine adjustments.
Instead of a traditional throttle, a power setting selector was mounted over the left T-Stoff tank. Levers for the landing skid and for jettisoning the canopy were positioned forward of the tank. On the right side, above the T-Stoff tank, were controls for oxygen, electrical systems, and radio equipment.
The Me 163 had an unpressurized cockpit, which made it challenging to fly. Pilots required altitude chamber training and special low-fiber diets before flights to prevent internal gas from expanding painfully during the aircraft’s rapid climb. To get the Me 163 ready for takeoff, ground crew used the Schleuchschlepper, a specialized three-wheeled tug, to position the aircraft on its takeoff dolly.
The plane never taxied under its own power because the rocket fuel was too precious. After refueling, the pilot began the startup sequence. He would turn the master switch to activate electrical systems, then the radio switch. The instrument panel came alive. He checked radio contact with flight control, then tested the control stick and rudder pedals.
The pilot then moved the throttle to the start position. Only then could the starter button be pressed. Moving the throttle lever through its settings brought the engine to life. C-Stoff cooled double-walled combustion chamber, then passed through atomizing nozzles. T-Stoff then entered through its own nozzles.
When the chemicals met, they exploded into flame, producing gases that provided thrust, starting the acceleration. German pilots used the “Scharfer Start” (the sharp takeoff). The Me 163 accelerated down the runway on its wheeled dolly. At about 80 mph, the control surfaces became effective. The pilot could finally steer with rudder and elevons instead of just the tailwheel.
At 200 mph, the aircraft lifted off. It flew horizontally, building speed to 420 mph with the dolly still attached to the plane. Then the pilot would pull the skid up, releasing the dolly’s locking mechanism. A pneumatic ram pushed the dolly away from the skid. With the weight gone, the pilot would pitch the Me 163 into a 70-degree climb, an angle no other fighter of the war could match.
While most fighters of the war could manage a maximum vertical speed of 49 to 66 feet per second, the Me 163 could rocket upward at 266 feet per second. In less than four minutes, it could reach 39,000 feet. And once it reached that height, the Me 163 could cruise at 550 mph. Fuel limitation was a major issue.
Pilots usually only had enough for two attack runs before they had to break off and return to base. Most of the time, pilots spotted their targets once they reached altitude: massive boxes of B-17s droning towards German cities. For the pilot, there was little time to make decisions: the concentrated burst of power from the rocket engine delivered altitude and closure in a matter of seconds.
Whatever happened next had to be completed inside that narrow window. The pilot had to choose: climb above the bomber formation, then dive down through the defensive fire, or make a low approach, cut across from below, climb, and dive again. Both methods reduced contact to a few seconds. The operational speed of 534 to 558 mph created a huge aiming challenge. 
The pilots flew at slightly less than half the speed of their own shells as they exited the gun. That forced the pilot to aim with a long lead, aiming not where the bomber was but where it would be. The pilot fired short bursts, counting rounds and watching tracers arc towards the formation. High traverse speeds, and rapid approach of Me 163, and efficient armor in the frontal projection made the defensive fire of Allied gunners almost ineffective.
Once ammunition or fuel was spent the pilot could return to base. Returning to base was the most dangerous time for the Me 163. Without power, it became a glider, which was a much easier target for Allied fighters. Most of the Me 163s shot down by the Allies happened during this gliding phase or after landing.
During landing, the Me 163 was lighter than at takeoff, at about half its starting weight. But it was slower and less able to turn. Approaching the runway, pilots slowed to below 185 mph, lined up the plane, extended the landing skid, and lowered the flaps. The touchdown happened at around 140 mph. The landing skid was less than perfect for absorbing shock so extra springs were added to the pilot’s seat to reduce the impact.
The struts holding the skid were also rather weak. Any bump from a hole in the runway or a hard landing could break the skid and cause a serious crash. After landing, the Me 163 was still vulnerable until ground crews could move it to safety. The Me 163 was both advanced and flawed. It had groundbreaking technology, but also design compromises that made it hard to use effectively.
The fact that it could fly as both a glider and a rocket fighter made it completely unique for its time. But even with the outstanding speed and climb performance, combat was limited by high speeds, short fuel time, and little chance for training. It was a remarkable but desperate design for desperate times.
The Me 163’s combat record consisted of just nine confirmed kills against 14 combat losses, plus additional pilot casualties from fuel accidents and crashes during landings. The Me 163 Komet was a great example of German engineers pushing the envelope with rocket propulsion. If you’d like to see an aircraft that was once promoted as a world’s first stealth plane — click the link and see our video on the Horten Flying Wing.
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