Messerschmitt Me 163 - Reproductions

Reproductions

A flying reproduction Me 163 was constructed between 1994 and 1996 by Joseph Kurtz, a former Luftwaffe pilot who trained to fly Me 163s, but who never flew in combat. He subsequently sold the aircraft to EADS. The reproduction is an unpowered glider whose shape closely matches that of an Me 163, although its weight and internal construction differ considerably. Reportedly, it has excellent flying characteristics.

XCOR Aerospace, an aerospace and rocketry company, proposed a rocket-powered airworthy reproduction, the Komet II. Although outwardly the same as a wartime aircraft, the design would have differed considerably for safety reasons. It would have been partially constructed with composite materials, powered by one of XCOR's own simpler and safer, pressure fed, liquid oxygen/alcohol engines, and retractable undercarriage would have been used instead of a takeoff dolly and landing skid. The project is no longer discussed on the company's website, and it appears work has ceased on this project.

Several static reproductions of the aircraft are exhibited in museums.

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