Me 262 C-1a

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

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

Description

The Me 262 C-1a Heimatschützer I is a rank V German jet fighter with a battle rating of 7.3 (AB/RB) and 7.7 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.39.

The Me 262 C-1a Heimatschützer I is a Me 262 A-1a fitted with a rocket booster in its tail. It is intended as an interceptor, climbing very quickly under the power of the booster rocket combined with its two jet engines. However, the boosters have a small fuel supply and shut down minutes after takeoff. Without its booster rocket, the Heimatschützer functions very similarly to the Me 262 A-1a. It has the same armament as the Me 262 A-1.

General info

Flight performance

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	906	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	580	580	380	~14	~7

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

• 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

Armaments

Offensive armament

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

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Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair			Offensive 30 mm
II		Compressor	Airframe
III	Wings repair			New 30 mm cannons
IV		Engine	Cover

The biggest issue of the Heimatschützer I is it's 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.

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

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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

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

External links

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• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
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