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Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse

Nazi Germany ·first flew 1942· heavy fighter, fighter-bomber

🎖️ military 2× piston retired
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
  1. 1. Me 410: SDASM Archives· Public domain
  2. 2. Me 410 Hornisse with BK 5: U.S. Army Air Forces photo 342-FH-3A26601-51506AC· Public domain
  3. 3. Messerschmitt Me-410A-1-U2 Hornisse, Germany - Air Force AN1139884: Mike Freer - Touchdown-aviation· GFDL 1.2
  4. 4. Messerschmitt Me-410 A-1-U2 (27699458750): Clemens Vasters from Viersen, Germany, Germany· CC BY 2.0
  5. 5. Messerschmitt Me410A-1 U2 Hornisse (50108503016): Hugh Llewelyn from Keynsham, UK· CC BY-SA 2.0
  6. 6. Messerschmitt Me 410 (3444884769): Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK· CC BY 2.0
  7. 7. Dornier Do 335 and a Messerschmitt Me 410 in a hangar at Bayreuth airfield, Germany, circa in April 1945 (342-FH-3A20025-112949AC): U.S. Army Air Forces photo 342-FH-3A20025-112949AC· Public domain
  8. 8. Dornier Do 335 and Messerschmitt Me 410 at Bayreuth airfield, Germany, in April 1945 (342-FH-3A19941-3A19941): U.S. Army Air Forces photo 342-FH-3A19941-3A19941· Public domain
  9. 9. Four German Messerschmitt Me 410 attack a formation of B-17s with 21 cm rockets and cannons, circa in late 1943 (342-FH-3A19511-C26952AC): U.S. Army Air Forces photo 342-FH-3A19511-C26952AC· Public domain
  10. 10. German Messerschmitt Me 410 chases a USAAF Consolidated B-24 over the Alps, 23 February 1944 (342-FH-3A05049-51134AC): U.S. Army Air Forces photo 342-FH-3A05049-51134AC· Public domain
Read about it on Wikipedia ↗
Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse, photo 1 of 10
1/10 SDASM Archives· Public domain

what is it?

The Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse (Hornet) is a heavy fighter and Schnellbomber ("Fast Bomber" in English) designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt. It was flown by the Luftwaffe during the latter half of the Second World War. Work began on producing a successor to the Bf 110 in 1937, however, the resulting Me 210 proved to be unsatisfactory, leading to production being halted in April 1942.

How to recognise it: 2 piston engines with propellers · 16.4 m wingspan

base stats

  • speed 507 km/htop speed
  • range 1,200 kmwithout refuelling
  • size 9,651 kgmax take-off weight
  • built 1,189made 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 84 years ago, in 1942.
  • Top speed is 3.9× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
  • Wingspan of 16.4 m: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
  • Range of 1,200 km: 7× Amsterdam to Brussels.
  • 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
1942-03-14
introduced
1943
retired
1945
status
retired
number built
1,189
role
heavy fighter, fighter-bomber
origin
Nazi Germany
makers
Messerschmitt
engines
2× Daimler-Benz DB 603A
length
12.5 m
wingspan
16.4 m
height
4.3 m
max take-off weight
9,651 kg
top speed
507 km/h
cruise speed
587 km/h
range
1,200 km
ceiling
10,000 m

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

Sources: Wikidata Q1175219, Wikipedia: Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.

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