Messerschmitt Bf 110

what is it?

The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often known unofficially as the Me 110, is a twin-engined Zerstörer (destroyer, heavy fighter), fighter-bomber (Jagdbomber or Jabo), and night fighter (Nachtjäger) designed by the German aircraft company Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW) and produced by successor company Messerschmitt. It was primarily operated by the Luftwaffe and was active throughout the Second World War. Development of the Bf 110 commenced during the first half of the 1930s; one early proponent of the type was Hermann Göring, who believed its heavy armament, speed, and range would make it the premier offensive fighter of the Luftwaffe.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 piston engines with propellers · 16.3 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 475 km/htop speed
• range 774 kmwithout refuelling
• size 6,750 kgmax take-off weight
• built 6,170made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 90 years ago, in 1936.
• 🏎️Top speed is 3.7× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 16.3 m: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.1× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1936-05-12

introduced

1939

retired

1945

status

retired

number built

6,170

role

heavy fighter, fighter-bomber, night fighter

origin

🇩🇪 Germany

makers

Augsburg, Brunswick, Messerschmitt

engines

2× Daimler-Benz DB 601A-1

length

12.1 m

wingspan

16.3 m

height

4.1 m

max take-off weight

6,750 kg

top speed

475 km/h

cruise speed

262 km/h

range

774 km

ceiling

10,000 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.