List of jet aircraft of World War II

This is a list of jet aircraft that were developed during the Second World War:

Allies

United Kingdom

Experimental and test

• Gloster E.28/39 - May 15, 1941 became the first jet engined aircraft to fly in the United Kingdom, and the very first jet aircraft flown by any of the Allies of World War II.

Operational

• Gloster Meteor - First operational Allied fighter jet, entered Service July 27 1944., The first V-1 flying bombs "kill" was made by a Meteor on 4 August 1944 (another followed the same day). This was the first air downing of a jet-powered aircraft by another, although that achievement is usually ascribed to the battles between manned jet aircraft during the Korean War in November 1950.
• De Havilland Vampire - Production aircraft entered service in April 1945.

United States

Experimental and test

• Bell XP-83 - Redesigned P-59 for long-range escort fighter duties. Cancelled after two prototypes.
• Consolidated Vultee XP-81 - Mixed power. Two prototypes built, project cancelled due to poor flight performance and war ended
• Douglas XBTD-2 Destroyer - Modified BTD Destroyer, mixed propulsion, two prototypes built. Cancelled due to poor performance.
• McDonnell FH Phantom - Prototype of the FH-1 Phantom
• Northrop XP-79 - Prototype tested 5 July 1944, project cancelled 1945.

Operational

• Bell P-59 Airacomet - First USAAF jet to fly, never saw operational service, only 66 built before contract terminated
• Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star - First operational jet fighter used by the United States Army Air Forces in 1945, grounded due to problems until after the war
• Ryan FR Fireball - US Navy production, mixed prop and jet aircraft, first flew on June 25, 1944, but never saw combat. 66 units delivered.

Soviet Union

Experimental

• Sukhoi Su-5 - Combined propeller/thermojet propulsion. 1 built, first flown 6 April 1945. Grounded after loss of piston engine.

Operational

• Mikoyan-Gurevich I-250 - mixed power fighter using a motorjet engine creating jet thrust at the rear and also turning a propeller at the front. 10-20 estimated built. Supplanted by pure jet aircraft.

Axis

Germany

Experimental and test

• Fieseler Fi 103R - Piloted version of the V-1 flying bomb.
• Heinkel He 178 - Pioneering first aircraft to fly under turbojet power, 27 August 1939
• Heinkel He 280 - World's first jet fighter, cancelled in favour of Me 262.
• Henschel Hs 132 - Dive bomber. Factory overrun by Soviet forces before test flights could begin.
• Horten Ho 229 - Flying wing fighter with stealth characteristics.
• Junkers Ju 287 - Multi-engine bomber design; proof-of-concept aircraft flying from 16 August 1944; factory and project captured by Soviets before definitive prototype built.

Operational

• Messerschmitt Me 262 - World's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft.
• Heinkel He 162 - Second jet engined fighter aircraft to serve with the Luftwaffe.
• Arado Ar 234 - World's first jet-powered bomber and reconnaissance aircraft.

Cancelled or incomplete

• Focke-Wulf Ta 183 "Huckebein" fighter, used swept wings for increased transonic performance, never completed.
• Heinkel He 343 - Four-engined jet bomber/recon/Zerstörer, design broadly based on the Arado Ar 234, not flown.
• Messerschmitt Me P.1101 - Experimental aircraft with ground-set variable-sweep wings. ~75% complete at conclusion of war, led to the Bell X-5 US experimental aircraft.
• Lippisch P.13a - Experimental ramjet-powered delta wing interceptor with an engine powered by coal. Unpowered glider prototype (DM1) constructed.
• Lippisch P.13b - Further development of the P.13a.

Italy

Experimental and test

• Campini Caproni CC.2 - First experimental Italian thermojet.

Projects

• Reggiane Re.2007 - First Italian turbojet fighter design.
• Campini Caproni C.A.183bis - Piston-thermojet engined high-altitude interceptor

Japan

Operational rocket aircraft

• Kuugisho/Yokosuka MXY7 - "Ohka" Model 11 Type 22 Suicide Attacker - prototype jet version of rocket-powered kamikaze aircraft was constructed but failed to enter service.

Experimental and test

• Nakajima Kikka - Turbojet Interceptor, prototype flown.

Cancelled or incomplete

• Kawanishi "Baika" - Mk.I,II,III (Fieseler Fi-103 R derivation) Pulsejet Suicide Attacker, project only.
• Kayaba "Katsudori" - Ramjet Interceptor
• Nakajima "Toka" - Turbojet Suicide Attacker
• Heinkel He 162 - A-2 (Tachikawa Ki-162?) Jet fighter Japanese version under license.
• Kugisho/Yokosuka MXY-9 - "Shuka" Rocket Interceptor operative training glider with turbojet
• Nakajima Ki-201 - "Karyuu" turbojet interceptor/attack
• Kawanishi K-200 - Six engined turbojet flying boat
• Yokosuka "Tenga" - Yokosuka P1Y/Ginga - "Frances" medium bomber converted to turbojet power, never completed
• Kugisho/Yokosuka R2Y2 - "Keiun-Kai" turbojet Reconnaissance/Attack Aircraft