![]() Maiden flight of the Do 335 V1 prototype was on 26 October 1943. Due to concerns over a pilot striking the dorsal fin or the rear prop (a common concern in pusher designs before ejector seats became common), explosive charges would sever the fin and propeller before the pilot would bail out. Service ceiling was 11,400m, and under ideal conditions the plane could climb to 8,000m in 14 minutes 30 seconds. Under single-engine operations, the plane could still fly at 563kmh. During flight tests, the Do 335 hit 763kmh with boost (686kmh without), making it the fastest production fighter the Luftwaffe fielded during WWII. A single 500kg bomb could be carried internally, and two pylons on the wings could be fitted with bombs, gun pods or drop tanks, with a total load of 100kg. The basic fighter/bomber variant was armed with a singe 30mm MK 103 cannon firing through the spinner and two 20mm MG 151/20 autocannon mounted in the front engine cowl and synchronized to fire through the prop disc. Due to the situation in late-war Germany, the engines were fitted to run on 87 octane "B4" lignite-derived synthetic fuel, and MW50 boost was also available for additional speed. Power was provided by two Daimler-Benz DB 603E-1 liquid-cooled V-12s developing 1,324kW each. Empty, the plane weighed 7,260kg, while at max TO the weight was 9,600kg (10,000kg for the two-seat trainers and night fighter variants). The Do 335 was 13.85m long, with a wingspan of 13.8m and a height of 5m. ![]()
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