Me 163 B-0

Description

The Me 163 B-0 is a rank German jet fighter with a battle rating of (AB), (RB), and (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.81 "The Valkyries".

General info

Flight performance

Details

Engine performance

Survivability and armour

The Me 163 B-0 is a glass (or in this case plywood) cannon. It takes very little damage to sever a wing or to set it on fire. However, as long as the plane doesn't spin out, you can fly relatively easily while missing wingtips or even a whole wing. One odd quirk of the Komet is that if the engine is set on fire, it cannot burnout due to the fire being unable to reach the wings or pilot. So if close enough to the airfield, it's possible to fly back to base to repair.

The plane can very easily rip off its own wings if not careful. Most often, wings rip off when performing two directional movements at the same time at 700-900 km/h, most commonly pulling up + rolling. Try to incrementally change directions when traveling at high speeds, one direction at a time and short bursts of turning.

Modifications and economy

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Me 163 B-0 is armed with:

• 2 x 20 mm MG 151 cannons, wing-mounted (120 rpg = 240 total)

Suspended armament

The Me 163 B-0 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 2 x 20 mm MG 151 cannons, suspended (80 rpg = 160 total)

The Me 163 B-0 can mount 2 additional 20 mm MG 151 cannons. These cannons have no effect on the performance of the plane, and are thus always worth running.

Usage in battles

Takeoff

Around 240 km/h, the plane will start violently shaking on the runway, often causing hilariously brutal deaths. To avoid this, there are two methods:

• Upon spawning in, open flaps all the way to landing flaps and continue pulling up until you takeoff. This method will work on most maps, but on some runways the plane will still experience the bug and explode.
• At 200 km/h, open landing flaps, and tilt the plane so one wingtip touches the ground.

Landing

Achieving a safe landing is rather simple. Deploy landing flaps and gears at 400-500 km/h, and continue slowing down to 300 km/h. Once at that speed, gently lower the plane onto the runway, as the plane has a tendency to bounce off the ground. Once on the ground, continue braking until you come to a full stop.

Throttle Speeds

While flying the Komet, throttle control is critical, as it will greatly conserve your fuel. It's worth noting that fuel consumption is not linear. (e.g. 100% throttle = 100% fuel usage, while 25% throttle = 6.67% fuel usage).

• 100% - This is the speed you want to use while traveling to the battle and in combat. Maximum thrust and speed are achieved here, but those values aren't much different compared to 75%.
• 75% - If in a long-drawn dogfight, consider throttling down to 75%. Every second matters, and the extra 30-60 seconds sometimes outway the lost speed.
• 33% - This is cruising throttle. High speed can still be maintained while conserving large amounts of fuel. Even some manoeuvring is possible if under attack.
• 0% - This is used to glide, which this plane excels at. You can glide very far on 0% throttle or no fuel.

Initial Contact

There are two main ways to engage enemies with the Komet:

• Boom and Zoom. Climb up to 4-5 km, then throttle back and cruise to the battle. Wait for other players to initiate dogfights, and if you spot an opening, throttle up and dive in for the kill. Most enemies will outrun you, so look for enemies who are traveling slow or who just completed a sharp turn.
• Dogfighting. Climb to 1-2 km, then level out and travel 100% throttle straight towards to enemy. You will often be one of the first people to the fight, so remember to always check your tail. Avoid head-on engagements, and attempt to lure enemies into turnfighting you.

Dogfighting

This rocket glider excels in turnfights, with a playstyle very similar to the A6M "Zero" at lower BRs. If you can somehow lure an enemy into turnfighting you, it's extremely easy to outmanoeuvre and kill them. But there are several things to take note of:

• Almost every other plane will outrun the Komet. Never plan to escape through speed, only through manoeuvres or friendlly support.
• Missiles are your worst enemy. They're very hard to dodge at low speed and high speed (due to compression). So if you see someone tailing you with missiles, prepare to dodge.
• Lowering the enemies' speed is the best way to gain the advantage. A great way to do this is by performing straight vertical climbs with evasive manoeuvring. Done correctly, you can flip over onto the enemy plane and catch them before they have a chance to get away.
• The Komet is very small, and thus very hard to hit. And long as you don't fly slow or straight, enemies will really struggle to bring you down.

Returning to Base

A good time to return to base is when on 90-120 seconds of fuel. Anything below that and you'll have to throttle down to conserve fuel on the return journey, taking more time and making the plane far more vulnerable.

After A Successful Landing

Many games will have been decided by the time you return to the runway and rearm for the first time. Always check the scoreboard before taking back off. It might be a 10-vs-1, which (hopefully) the rest of the team can handle without you. On the flipside, it might be a 1-vs-10, and taking off guarantees an early grave.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Very high climb rate, decent acceleration
• Amazing dogfighter, outmanoeuvring jets in almost any situation
• Well-suited to high altitudes due to its rocket engine
• Excellent manoeuvrability
• Small target

Cons:

• Extremely limited fuel capacity
• Prone to wing overload crashes when the fuel tanks are full
• Fragile airframe
• Aircraft easily compresses above 750 km/h
• Guns are not particularly strong
• Limited ammo capacity
• Low muzzle velocity ammunition
• No airbrakes

History

The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet is a German interceptor aircraft designed for point-defence that is the only rocket-powered fighter aircraft ever to have been operational and the first piloted aircraft of any type to exceed 1,000 km/h (621 mph) in level flight. Designed by Alexander Lippisch, its performance and aspects of its design were unprecedented. German test pilot Heini Dittmar in early July 1944 reached 1,130 km/h (700 mph), an unofficial flight airspeed record unmatched by turbojet-powered aircraft for almost a decade.

Over 300 Komets were built, but the aircraft proved lacklustre in its dedicated role as an interceptor and destroyed between 9 and 18 Allied aircraft against 10 losses. Aside from combat losses, many pilots were killed during testing and training, at least in part due to the highly volatile and corrosive nature of the rocket propellant used in later models of the aircraft. This includes one pilot by the name of Oberleutnant Josef Pöhs, who was dissolved by the rocket fuel following an incident that resulted in a ruptured fuel line.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Me 163 B-0 from live.warthunder.com.

Images

Videos

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

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

External links

• [Devblog] Me 163B-0, Model Update
• Official data sheet - more details about the performance

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Me 163	Me 163 B · Me 163 B-0
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