The Messerschmitt Me P.1103 was designed in 1944 (along with the FW "Volksjäger",
Ju EF 126 &127 and the Bacham Ba 349 "Natter") to be a rocket-powered
short-range interceptor. Construction was kept simple on the Me P.1103,
being mainly built of wood. The wings were mounted low and were unswept.
The Me P.1103 was to be towed into the air by either a Bf 109G or Me 262,
where it would then ignite its single Schmidding 109-513 solid rocket engine.
The pilot flew in a prone position and armament consisted of a single MK
108 30mm cannon and either one WGr 21 for air attacks or one WGr 28/32
for ground attacks. After the attack, the Me P.1103 was flown to a lower
altitude, away from the combat area, where a parachute would then be deployed
to lower the aircraft to the ground to be reused. All design work ceased
when the Ba 349 was awarded a development contract.
Span: 6.2 m (20' 4") Length: 4.7 m (15' 5") Max. Speed: 810 km/h (503 mph)
A cutaway view
of the first design of the Me P.1103, showing the prone position of the
pilot and the placement of the internal components....