Just for interest. Here´s the competitor plane for Me-262 but lost the battle for production in March 1943.

http://www.angelfire.com/ab4/airplan...0/History.html

He 280 is mentioned to be quicker than Me-262, its ability to climb and top flight altitude were better as well.On the other hand it could only fly 1/3 of Me 262´s distance,it had a weaker weaponry, and other "technical" matters were on Me 262´s side, but might as well be political reasons.

The first He 280 flew its first flight -about three minutes- on 30 March 1941. Six weeks before Frank Whittle´s flight on 15 May with Gloster E.28/39. The first Me 262 flew on 18 July 1942 by Captain Fritz Wendel for some 12 minutes on the third prototype of the plane.
Me 262 was at the beginning called P.65. as it was named in the letter for the RLM
( Reichsluftfahrtministrium) in 1939 just a few weeks before He 280´s first flight.

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