Messerschmitt
Messerschmitt Bf 162
The Messerschmitt Bf 162 was a prototype German twin‑engine transport aircraft developed in the late 1930s by Messerschmitt AG. Ordered by the Reichsluftfahrtministerium as a civilian counterpart to the successful Bf 110 heavy fighter, the Bf 162 was intended to serve as a fast, long‑range mail and passenger plane. Its first flight took place on 9 May 1937 from Augsburg, piloted by test‑pilot Herbert Fleischer. The aircraft featured a low‑wing monoplane layout, all‑metal stressed‑skin construction and retractable main landing gear. Powered by two Daimler‑Benz DB 600A liquid‑cooled V‑12 engines delivering 850 hp each, it could reach a maximum speed of 460 km/h and a range of roughly 2 200 km, while accommodating up to eight passengers in a relatively spacious cabin. Although its performance was impressive, the Bf 162 lost the production contract to the larger, more versatile Junkers Ju 90 and never entered series production. Only a single prototype was built, but the design offered valuable insight into twin‑engine transport concepts and influenced later Messerschmitt cargo projects such as the Me 323. Today the Bf 162 remains a noteworthy footnote in aviation history, illustrating the intersection of military‑derived technology and pre‑war civilian air‑transport ambitions.
