                      The Me262A-1a/U1

The Me 262A-1a/U1 was a test version of the Me 262 that had,
as an alternative weapons suite:
2 x MG 151 20mm cannon with 146 rounds per gun.
2 x MK 108 30mm cannon with 66 rounds per gun.
2 x MK 103 30mm cannon with 72 rounds per guns.
The installation of the MK 103 cannon dictated a bulged
fairing on each side of the nose, and only three examples of
this configuration were built.

Other exotic weapons were tested and proposed for use with
the Me262.  One was the SG500 "Jagdfaust," in use with the
Me163B Komet.  Another was the Ruhrstahl X-4 wire-guided
air-to-air missile.  This 132 lb. missile had both an impact
fuze and a proximity (acoustic) fuze.  The X-4 had a cigar
shaped body, was about 6 feet long, and had 4 central large
fins and 4 small tail fins.  The warhead weighed 44 pounds.
1,000 missile bodies had been built by December 1944, but
the factory that made the motors (BMW's Stargard Works) was
hit by bombing and all the engines were destroyed.  Had this
not happened, the X-4 surely would have seen combat.

This modified plane also has the option of one 1102 pound
bomb or two 551 pound aerial bombs.

This plane originally designed by Andrew McLaughlin III.

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