Me 262 C-1a

This page is about the German jet fighter Me 262 C-1a. For other versions, see Me 262 (Family).

Me 262 C-1a

Me 262 A-1a

Me 262 C-2b

Me 262 C-1a

Me 262 A-1a

Me 262 C-2b

Germany

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
7.3	7.3	7.7

Class:

Fighter

Jet fighter

Research:53 000

Purchase:300 000

Show in game

Description

The Me 262 C-1a Heimatschützer I was a single experimental prototype of a standard Me 262A fighter that was modified with a single Walter HWK 109-509 rocket engine, used in the Me 163 Komet rocket fighter. The engine was put into the tail of the aircraft to enhance the speed of the 262 for interception of Allied bombers, thus being given the name "Heimatschützer": Home protector. The aircraft was first flown using combined jet and rocket engine power on 27th February 1945.

Introduced in Update 1.39, the Me 262 C-1a is intended as an interceptor, climbing very quickly under the power of the booster rocket combined with its two jet engines. However, the booster rocket has a small fuel supply and will only last a few minutes of use. Without its booster rocket, the Heimatschützer functions very similarly to the Me 262 A-1a, with the same armament, engines, and airframe, though with slightly worse flight performance due to the added weight.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 6 000 m865 km/h

Turn time30 s

Max altitude14 900 m

Engine2 х Junkers Jumo 004B-1

TypeJet

Cooling systemAir

Take-off weight8 t

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 6,000 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	825	800	14900	31.7	32.7	16.6	15.7	628
Upgraded	907	865		29.0	30.3	23.8	20.0

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear	Drogue chute
✓	✓	✓	X	X	X

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
1050	450	498	469	320	~11	~5

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 500	< 600	< 680	N/A

Engine performance

Engine			Aircraft mass
Engine name		Number	Empty mass	Wing loading (full fuel, no booster fuel)
Junkers Jumo 004B-1		2	4,995 kg	269 kg/m2
Engine characteristics			Mass with fuel (no weapons load, no booster fuel)			Max Takeoff Weight
Weight (each)	Type		6m fuel	20m fuel	22m fuel
720 kg	Axial-flow turbojet		5,247 kg	5,777 kg	5,953 kg	7,800 kg
Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)			Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%, no booster)
Condition	100%	WEP	6m fuel	20m fuel	22m fuel	MTOW
Stationary	910 kgf	N/A	0.35	0.32	0.31	0.23
Optimal	910 kgf (0 km/h)	N/A	0.35	0.32	0.31	0.23

Booster (Walter HWK 109-509S - Liquid-fuel rocket)						Aircraft mass
Number	Booster weight (each)	Fuel weight (each)	Burn Time	Can be shutdown	Jettisoned after use	Mass with full booster fuel (no weapons load)
						6m fuel	20m fuel	22m fuel
1	165 kg	1,700 kg	172s	Yes	No	6,947 kg	7,477 kg	7,653 kg
Condition		Maximum booster thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)		Combined engine & booster thrust @ 0 m		Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100% with booster)
						6m fuel	20m fuel	22m fuel
Stationary		1,692 kgf		3,512 kgf		0.51	0.47	0.46
Optimal		1,692 kgf (any speed)		3,512 kgf (0kph)		0.51	0.47	0.46

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural1 050 km/h

Gear450 km/h

• 15 mm Steel - Behind pilot
• 15 mm Steel - Pilot's headrest
• 15 mm Steel - Between cockpit and fore fuel tank
• 15 mm Steel - Instrument panel plate
• 16 mm Steel x 2 - Ammunition protection plates
• 90 mm Bulletproof glass

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB3 715 → 4 706

RB10 204 → 12 928

SB13 709 → 17 369

Total cost of modifications90 200

146 000

Talisman cost2 100

Crew training86 000

Experts300 000

Aces1 700

Research Aces720 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

130 / 350 / 600 %

196 / 196 / 196 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Research: 9 100 Cost: 15 000 260 Compressor Research: 10 000 Cost: 16 000 290 Wings repair Research: 11 000 Cost: 18 000 320 Engine Research: 15 000 Cost: 24 000 430	Airframe Research: 10 000 Cost: 16 000 290 Cover Research: 15 000 Cost: 24 000 430	mk108_belt_pack Research: 9 100 Cost: 15 000 260 mk108_new_gun Research: 11 000 Cost: 18 000 320

The biggest issue of the Heimatschützer I is its poor acceleration across all speeds when the boosters are out of fuel. Thus, the "Compressor" and "New Engine" modifications should have the highest priority. The default ammo belts are decent, but the high explosive content increases with the new ammo. Because of this, researching the 30 mm Belts modification is not a bad idea. The "New Cannons" modification can also be researched to improve the accuracy and reliability of the 30 mm cannons.

Armaments

Offensive armament

Weapon 14 x 30 mm MK 108 cannon

Ammunition360 rounds

Fire rate600 shots/min

The Me 262 C-1a is armed with:

• 4 x 30 mm MK 108 cannons, nose-mounted (2 x 100 rpg top + 2 x 80 rpg bottom = 360 total)

The Heimatschutzer I's cannon armament consists of four nose-mounted 30 mm Mk 108 autocannons. It has the same armament as the Me 262 A-1a. The Me 262 A-1a and the Me 262 C-1a Heimatschützer have the same burst mass of 14.52 kg/s (32.01 lbs/s).

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Heavy armament of four 30 mm cannons
• Decent energy retention
• It has a rocket engine, allowing a climb to about 4000 m (13000 ft) within 1.5 minutes

Cons:

• Slow in comparison to other jets it may encounter
• Rocket propulsion is limited
• Its 30 mm guns are not optimal for jet combat, with low muzzle velocity and effective range
• Without its booster, it is a fairly slow climber
• Sluggish at high speeds due to control surface compression

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Me 262 C-1a from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Me-262 family discusses the Me 262 C-1a at 4:38 - War Thunder Official Channel

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• Official data sheet - more details about the performance