Not intending to derail the thread too much, but does anyone have any credible evidence of the alleged mock dogfight between the He 280 and the FW 190? I have a book on the He 280, which mentions a race between the two, but no evidence of mock battles. From what I have read over the years, the He 280 bested the FW 190 in every aspect of dogfighting, not just outright speed. It was supposedly held in front of high ranking Nazi's to boost the possibility of being awarded a production contract, which of course never came. The He 280 was completing pure jet flights before the Me 262 prototypes were barely getting airborne with a Junkers piston engine. It already had tricycle undercarriage, an ejection seat, and three 20mm cannon fitted in the nose, although it remains unclear if any actual gunnery practice took place. There were plans for a single fin and rudder and improved armament,and it was designed purely as a fighter, with no indications of having any kind of bombing capability. The problems with the engines sealed its fate, and it would have never been ready or reliable enough to enter combat in any numbers, so the "what if" scenario is pretty much dead in the water. I still consider it one of the most elegant aircraft ever made, classically beautiful and unique for its time.
Last edited: