Me 410 Hornisse

The Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse was a German twin‑engine, heavy fighter and Schnellbomber developed during World War II as a successor to the Bf 110. First flown in early 1943, the Me 410 entered service with the Luftwaffe later that year and saw action on the Western, Eastern and Mediterranean fronts. Its design combined a streamlined, low‑drag airframe with a 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon under each wing, a 13 mm MG 131 machine gun in the nose, and provision for a single 30 mm MK 108 or 50 kg bomb load. Powered by two DB 603A-2 liquid‑cooled V12 engines producing 1,800 hp each, the aircraft reached a top speed of 620 km/h (385 mph) at 6,500 m and had a service ceiling above 10,000 m. The Me 410’s improved handling, greater range, and heavier armament made it an effective bomber‑interceptor, capable of destroying Allied bombers and performing low‑level ground‑attack missions. Although it arrived late in the conflict and was produced in relatively limited numbers—about 1,300 built—its versatile design influenced post‑war twin‑engine fighter concepts and demonstrated the potential of combining speed, firepower, and payload in a single platform. Units such as ZG 26 used the Me 410 in day and night missions, and its airframe later inspired experimental jet projects.

Messerschmitt

Classification

Production & History

Design & Classification