Messerschmitt Me 262 Used by the Luftwaffe

Messerschmitt Me 262 Used by the Luftwaffe Specifications (Me 262 A-1a) General Length: 34 ft. 9 in.Wingspan: 41 ft.Height: 11 ft. 6 in.Wing Area: 234 sq. ft.Empty Weight: 8,400 lbs.Loaded Weight: 15,720 lbs.Crew: 1 Performance Power Plant: 2 x Junkers Jumo 004B-1 turbojets, 8.8 kN (1,980 lbf) eachRange: 652 milesMax Speed: 541 mphCeiling: 37,565 ft. Armament Guns: 4 x 30 mm MK 108 cannonsBombs/Rockets: 2 x 550 lb. bombs (A-2a only), 24 x 2.2 in. R4M rockets Origins Though best remembered as a late-war weapon, the design of the Messerschmitt Me 262 began prior to World War II in April 1939. Spurred by the success of the Heinkel He 178, the worlds first true jet which flew in August 1939, the German leadership pressed for the new technology to be put to military use. Known as Projekt P.1065, work moved forward in response to a request from the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM - Ministry of Aviation) for a jet fighter capable of at least 530 mph with a flight endurance of one hour. Design of the new aircraft was directed by Dr. Waldemar Voigt with oversight from Messerschmitts chief of development, Robert Lusser. In 1939 and 1940, Messerschmitt completed the initial design of the aircraft and began building prototypes to test the airframe. Design Development While the first designs called for the Me 262s engines to be mounted in the wing roots, issues with the power plants development saw them moved to pods on the wings.  Due to this change and the increased weight of the engines, the aircrafts wings were swept back to accommodate the new center of gravity. Overall development was slowed due to continued issues with the jet engines and administrative interference.  The former issue often was a result of the necessary high-temperature resistant alloys being unavailable while the latter saw notable figures such as Reichsmarschall Hermann Gà ¶ring, Major General Adolf Galland, and Willy Messerschmitt all oppose the aircraft at different times for political and economic reasons. Additionally, the aircraft that would become the worlds first operational jet fighter received mixed support as many influential Luftwaffe officers who felt that the approaching conflict could be won by piston-engine aircraft, such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109, a lone. Originally possessing a conventional landing gear design, this was changed to a tricycle arrangement to improve control on the ground. On April 18, 1941, the prototype Me 262 V1 flew for the first time powered by a nose-mounted Junkers Jumo 210 engine turning a propeller. This use of a piston engine was the result of ongoing delays with the aircrafts intended twin BMW 003 turbojets. The Jumo 210 was retained on the prototype as a safety feature following the arrival of the BMW 003s. This proved fortuitous as both turbojets failed during their initial flight, forcing the pilot to land using the piston engine. Testing in this manner continued for over a year and it was not until July 18, 1942, that the Me 262 (Prototype V3) flew as pure jet. Streaking above Leipheim, Messerschmitt test pilot Fritz Wendels Me 262 beat the first Allied jet fighter, the Gloster Meteor, into the skies by about nine months. Though Messerschmitt had succeeded in out-pacing the Allies, its competitors at Heinkel had first flown their own prototype jet fighter, the He 280 the previous year.  Not backed by the Luftwaffe, the He 280 program would be terminated in 1943. As the Me 262 was refined, the BMW 003 engines were abandoned due to poor performance and replaced by the Junkers Jumo 004. Though an improvement, the early jet engines possessed incredibly short operational lives, typically lasting only 12-25 hours. Due to this issue, the early decision to move the engines from the wing roots into pods proved fortuitous. Faster than any Allied fighter, production of the Me 262 became a priority for the Luftwaffe. As a result of Allied bombing, production was distributed to small factories in German territory, with around 1,400 ultimately being bu ilt. Variants Entering service in April 1944, the Me 262 was used in two primary roles. The Me 262 A-1a Schwalbe (Swallow) was developed as a defensive interceptor while the Me 262 A-2a Sturmvogel (Stormbird) was created as a fighter-bomber. The Stormbird variant was designed at Hitlers insistence. While over a thousand Me 262s were produced, only around 200-250 ever made it to frontline squadrons due to shortages in fuel, pilots, and parts. The first unit to deploy the Me 262 was Erprobungskommando 262 in April 1944. Taken over by Major Walter Nowotny in July, it was renamed, Kommando Nowotny. Operational History Developing tactics for the new aircraft, Nowotnys men trained through the summer of 1944 and first saw action in August. His squadron was joined by others, however, only a few of the aircraft were available at any given time. On August 28, the first Me 262 was lost to enemy action when Major Joseph Myers and Second Lieutenant Manford Croy of the 78th Fighter Group shot one down while flying P-47 Thunderbolts. After limited use during the fall, the Luftwaffe created several new Me 262 formations in the early months of 1945. Among those becoming operational was Jagdverband 44 led by the famed Galland. A unit of select Luftwaffe pilots, JV 44 began flying in February 1945. With the activation of additional squadrons, the Luftwaffe was finally able to mount large Me 262 assaults on Allied bomber formations. One effort on March 18 saw 37 Me 262s strike a formation of 1,221 Allied bombers. In the fight, the Me 262s downed twelve bombers in exchange for four jets. While attacks such as this frequently proved successful, the relatively small number of available Me 262s limited their overall effect and the losses they inflicted generally represented a tiny percentage of the attacking force. Me 262 pilots developed several tactics for striking Allied bombers. Among methods preferred by pilots were diving and attacking with the Me 262s four 30mm cannons and approaching from a bombers side and firing R4M rockets at long range. In most cases, the Me 262s high speed made it nearly invulnerable to a bombers guns. To cope with the new German threat, the Allies developed a variety of anti-jet tactics. P-51 Mustang pilots quickly learned that the Me 262 was not as maneuverable as their own planes and found that they could attack the jet as it turned. As a practice, escorting fighters began flying high over the bombers so that they could quickly dive on German jets. Also, as the Me-262 required concrete runways, Allied leaders singled out jet bases for heavy bombing with the goal of destroying the aircraft on the ground and eliminating its infrastructure. The most proven method for dealing with the Me 262 was to attack it as it was taking off or landing. This was largely due to the jets poor performance at low speeds. To counter this, the Luftwaffe constructed large flak batteries along the approaches to their Me 262 bases. By wars end, the Me 262 had accounted for 509 claimed Allied kills against approximately 100 losses. It is also believed that a Me 262 flown by Oberleutnant Fritz Stehle scored the final aerial victory of the war for the Luftwaffe. Postwar With the end of hostilities in May 1945, the Allied powers scrambled to claim the remaining Me 262s. Studying the revolutionary aircraft, elements were subsequently incorporated into future fighters such as the F-86 Sabre and MiG-15. In the years after the war, Me 262s were used in high-speed testing. Though German production of the Me 262 ended with the conclusion of the war, the Czechoslovak government continued building the aircraft as the Avia S-92 and CS-92. These remained in service until 1951. Selected Sources Stormbirds: Me 262Me 262

Vanadium Facts (V or Atomic Number 23)

Vanadium Facts (V or Atomic Number 23) Vanadium (atomic number 23 with symbol V) is one of the transition metals. Youve probably never encountered it in pure form, but it is found in some types of steel. Here are essential element facts about vanadium and its atomic data. Fast Facts: Vanadium Element Name: VanadiumElement Symbol: VAtomic Number: 23Group: Group 5 (Transition Metal)Period: Period 4Appearance: Blue-gray metalDiscovery: Andrà ©s Manuel del Rà ­o (1801) Vanadium  Basic Facts Atomic Number: 23 Symbol: V Atomic Weight: 50.9415 Discovery: Depending who you ask: del Rà ­o 1801 or Nils Gabriel Sefstrom 1830 (Sweden) Electron Configuration: [Ar] 4s2 3d3 Word Origin: Vanadis, a Scandinavian goddess. Named after the goddess because of vanadiums beautiful multicolored compounds. Isotopes: There are 20 known isotopes of vanadium ranging from V-23 to V-43. Vanadium has only one stable isotope: V-51. V-50 is nearly stable with a half-life of 1.4 x 1017 years. Natural vanadium is a mostly a mixture of the two isotopes, vanadium-50 (0.24%) and vanadium-51 (99.76%). Properties: Vanadium has a melting point of 1890/-10 °C, boiling point of 3380 °C, specific gravity of 6.11 (18.7 °C), with a valence of 2, 3, 4, or 5. Pure vanadium is a soft, ductile bright white metal. Vanadium has good corrosion resistance to alkalis, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, and saltwater, but it oxidizes readily at temperatures exceeding 660 °C. The metal has good structural strength and a low fission neutron cross section. Vanadium and all of its compounds are toxic and should be handled with care. Uses: Vanadium is used in nuclear applications, for producing rust-resistant spring and high-speed tool steels, and as a carbide stabilizer in making steels. Approximately 80% of the vanadium that is produced is used as a steel additive or ferrovanadium. Vanadium foil is used as a bonding agent for cladding steel with titanium. Vanadium pentoxide is used as a catalyst, as a mordant for dyeing and printing fabrics, in the manufacture of aniline black, and in the ceramics industry. Vanadium-gallium tape is used to produce superconducting magnets. Sources: Vanadium occurs in approximately 65 minerals, including vanadinite, carnotite, patronite, and roscoelite. It is also found in certain iron ores and phosphate rock and in some crude oils as organic complexes. Vanadium is found in small percentages in meteorites. High purity ductile vanadium may be obtained by reducing vanadium trichloride with magnesium or a magnesium-sodium mixture. Vanadium metal also may be produced by calcium reduction of V2O5 in a pressure vessel. Vanadium  Physical Data Element Classification: Transition MetalDensity (g/cc): 6.11Electronegativity: 1.63Electron Affinity: 50.6 kJ/molMelting Point (K): 2160Boiling Point (K): 3650Appearance: soft, ductile, silvery-white metalAtomic Radius (pm): 134Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 8.35Covalent Radius (pm): 122Ionic Radius: 59 (5e) 74 (3e)Specific Heat (20 °C J/g mol): 0.485Fusion Heat (kJ/mol): 17.5Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 460Debye Temperature (K): 390.00Pauling Negativity Number: 1.63First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): 650.1Oxidation States: 5, 4, 3, 2, 0Lattice Structure: Body-Centered CubicLattice Constant (Ã…): 3.020CAS Registry: 7440-62-2 Vanadium Trivia Vanadium was initially discovered in 1801 by the Spanish-Mexican mineralogist Andres Manuel del Rà ­o. He extracted the new element from a sample of lead ore and found salts formed a multitude of colors. His original name for this colorful element was panchromium, meaning all colors.del Rio renamed his element erythronium (Greek for red) because the crystals of vanadium would turn red upon heating.The French chemist Hippolyte Victor Collet-Descotils claimed del Rà ­os element was actually chromium. del Rà ­o retracted his discovery claim.Swedish chemist Nils Sefstrà ¶m rediscovered the element in 1831 and named the element vanadium after the Scandinavian goddess of beauty Vanadis.Vanadium compounds are all toxic. Toxicity tends to increase with oxidation state.The first commercial use of vanadium steel was the chassis of the Ford Model T.Vanadium is paramagnetic.The abundance of vanadium in the Earths crust is 50 parts per million.The abundance of vanadium in seawater is 0.18 par ts per billion. Vanadium(V) oxide (V2O5) is used as a catalyst in the Contact Process to manufacture sulfuric acid.Vanadium is found in the proteins known as vanabins. Some sea species of sea cucumbers and sea squirts have yellow blood because of the vanabins in their blood. Sources Featherstonhaugh, George William (1831). New Metal, provisionally called Vanadium. The Monthly American Journal of Geology and Natural Science: 69.Marden, J. W.; Rich, M. N. (1927). Vanadium. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. 19 (7): 786–788. doi:10.1021/ie50211a012Sigel, Astrid; Sigel, Helmut, eds. (1995). Vanadium and Its Role in Life. Metal Ions in Biological Systems. 31. CRC. ISBN 978-0-8247-9383-8.Weast, Robert (1984). CRC, Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Boca Raton, Florida: Chemical Rubber Company Publishing. pp. E110. ISBN 0-8493-0464-4.