Development of the Me-109 M-0

In a last desparate attempt to keep the Me-109 in production, the Messerschmitt company designed a last heavy fighter variant of the type early in 1945. At this time the K-4 was just entering into the operational units. For the M version a number of changes were envisaged:

• The rear fuselage was cut down and a bubble canopy was introduced.

• The engine was to be the DB605S version, offering 2800hp at take-off. To convert the power of this engine, a four bladed propeller was introduced.`

• A Walter ramjet was fitted to the end of each wing giving extra power

• Armament was increased with two R4M rocket launch racks under the wings
   

The following versions were planned:

M-2     :           Heavy fighter with 2 x MG 131, 3 x MK 108 and 24 R4M rockets
M-4     :           Heavy fighter as M-2 but with a five bladed propeller
M-6     :           Heavy fighter as M-4 but with a Walther rocket engine in the tail
M-8     :           Heavy fighter with a DB603 engine
M-12   :           Trainer for the M-6 with the rocket engine

In March 1945 two Me-109 M-0 aircraft were manufactured to test various features of the M series. The M-01 was fitted with a DB605S engine. Because the four bladed propeller was not yet ready, it was first fitted with a standard three bladed unit. Performance was disappointing with this configuration.

The M-02 had the Walter ramjets at the wingtips and was fitted with a four bladed propeller and two R4M racks.
Both aircraft retained the conventional rear fuselage and canopy.

The M-03 which had the new fuselage was under construction when the war ended as was the prototype for the planned M-6.

The M-02 was delivered to I./JG 302 where it was tested under operational conditions as black 8.
Pilots were not very enthusiastic about the new version. Torque on take-off was almost too much to manage and performance suffered because of the R4M racks.
When the R4M racks were deleted, speed increased markedly to more than 750km/h which rose further to 804km/h when the ramjets were lit. The ramjets gave extra speed but burnt a lot of fuel and reduced range a lot.

It is dubious if the Me-109M would have been ordered into production, had the war lasted longer. The design of the Me-109 was at the end of its possibilities with the K version and the new jet fighters were rapidly replacing piston engined types in the front lines.

The model

This 1/72 model is an old Heller Me-109K kit that was repainted.