History
The Schnellbomber Ia / Aufclärer Ia was one of many projects
based on the advanced (by the WWII standard) Me-262 jet. The main
idea of this version was to increase the poor range of the first jet
planes by fitting as many fuel tanks as possible without substantial
shift in the aircraft's center of gravity while the fuel is consumed
during the flight.
The solution was found in the new cockpit location - in the nose
of the aircraft. This also gave an excellent view to the pilot, but
required ninety degrees rotation of the front wheel leg as the gear
was retracted to fit in the restricted wheel well.
A small RATO rocket was to provide additional power during take off of the heavy aircraft.
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