Messerschmitt P.1110

Developed in the closing years of World War II, the Messerschmitt P.1110 was a late‑war German fighter project that never left the drawing board. Initiated in early 1944 by Messerschmitt’s design office under the direction of Dr. Woldemar Voigt, the P.1110 was intended to replace the aging Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Me 262 in the Luftwaffe’s high‑altitude interceptor role. The design called for a compact, low‑wing monoplane powered by a single BMW 801 radial engine coupled to a novel axial‑flow jet compressor, giving an estimated top speed of 950 km/h (590 mph). Its airframe featured a blended wing‑body shape, a bubble canopy for excellent visibility, and retractable tricycle landing gear. Armament was planned around four 30 mm MK 108 cannons mounted in the nose, providing formidable firepower against Allied bombers. Although wind‑tunnel tests in late 1944 demonstrated promising aerodynamic qualities, material shortages, Allied bombing of production facilities, and the imminent German surrender halted further development. The P.1110 remains a significant “what‑if” in aviation history, illustrating the rapid transition from piston to jet propulsion and influencing post‑war German aerodynamic studies that later contributed to the development of the Hawker Hunter and early NATO fighters.