Messerschmitt Me-163 Komet
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Alexander Lippisch designed the Me-163 Komet. This is not the first Lippisch developed aircraft on this list.
Messerschmitt manufactured this German rocket-powered fighter. The Komet was the first aircraft piloted over 621 mph in level flight. The aircraft assumed a defensive interceptor role in aerial combat.
In 1941, the Komet first flew. Messerschmitt officially unveiled it in 1944. Messerschmitt built 370 Komets in total.
In July 1944, the Komet zoomed 700 mph.
In 1945, Komet production halted.
Only highly-skilled pilots successfully gunned down the aircraft’s targets. The German Air Force lost faith in the Komet’s effectiveness.
After the war, the Allies plundered the remaining Komets. At least 10 of the surviving aircrafts, alongside an array of replicas display history in museums around the world.
