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Lippisch Li 163
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Usage
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Experimental
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Status
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Design
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Span
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9.20 m
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Length
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5.70 m
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The first two Me 163A ''V" (Versuchs, experimental) prototypes were completed in the spring of 1941. On October 2 of that year, during the early powered flight program, a speed of over 623 mph
(1,003 km/hr) was attained and the RLM ordered the development of the Me 163 as a fighter. While Messerschmitt was carrying out practical development, Lippisch had been busy working through his series of rocket-fighter
designs towards the creation of the aircraft which became the Me 163B. It was in drawings dated September 14, 1941, that the unmistakable Komet shape finally emerged. This design was labeled the Lippisch Li 163. It was to have an armament of
four 30 mm cannon and a wing span of 30 ft 2 in (9.20 m) and a length of 18 ft 8 in (5.70 m), very similar to the dimensions of the Me 163B.
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