Development of the Bf 110 commenced during the first half of the 1930s; one early proponent of the type was Hermann Göring, who believed its heavy armament, speed, and range would make it the premier offensive fighter of the Luftwaffe.

This weakness was exploited by the RAF, when Bf 110s were flown as close escort to German bombers during the Battle of Britain.

[4] During the Balkans and North African campaigns and on the Eastern Front, the Bf 110 rendered valuable ground support to the German Army as a potent fighter-bomber.

The Ministry of Aviation (RLM, for Reichsluftfahrtministerium), at the encouragement of Hermann Göring,[7][8] issued a request for a new multipurpose fighter called the Kampfzerstörer (battle destroyer) with long range and an internal bomb bay.

The Bf 110 proved to be far superior to its rivals in providing the speed, range, and firepower to meet its role requirements.

[12] Accordingly, Bayerische Flugzeugwerke's submission bested Focke-Wulf, Henschel, and Arado, and thus the firm was given the funds to build several prototype aircraft.

[13] By the end of 1935, the Bf 110 had evolved into an all-metal, low-wing cantilever monoplane of semimonocoque design featuring twin vertical stabilizers and powered by two DB 600A engines.

[12][10] By luck (and pressure by Ernst Udet), the RLM reconsidered the ideas of the Kampfzerstörer and began focusing on the Zerstörer.

Amid this phase of testing, both the Focke-Wulf Fw 187 and Henschel Hs 124 competitors were rejected and the Bf 110 was ordered into full rate production.

A compact oil cooler and air scoop remained under each engine nacelle for the remainder of the Bf 110's production run.

[21] The initial D-series version, the Bf 110D-0 was designed to add a large, streamlined, 1,050-litre (277 U.S. gallon) ventral fuel tank built under the fuselage, which required a substantially sized, conformal streamlined ventral fuselage fairing extending from halfway back under the nose to the rear of the cockpit glazing, inspiring the nickname Dackelbauch (dachshund's belly).

[22][23] The D-1 was also set up to accept a pair of fin-equipped 900-litre (238 U.S. gallon) drop tanks, one under each wing, increasing the total fuel capacity to 4,120 litres (1,088 U.S.

[24] The substantial added drag of the early "dachshund's belly" ventral fuselage tank in test flights mandated its omission from production D-1s, although they were still prepared to mount an improved, better-streamlined, version.

A large number of Rüstsätze field conversion packs were available, making the G subtype the most versatile production version of the Bf 110.

[39] The Bf 110 G-2/R1 was also capable of employing armament such as the Bordkanone-series 37 mm (1.46 in) BK 3,7 autofed cannon, mounted in a conformal ventral gun pod under the fuselage.

After a period of use on bombing and reconnaissance, the type found its niche during the winter of 1940-41 as a night fighter in defensive operations.

At first, the three main crew members had no special equipment for night operations and relied on their eyes alone to find enemy aircraft in the dark.

[39] Airborne radar was used experimentally during 1941, effective up to a maximum distance of 3.5 km/ 2.2 miles and capable of bringing the Bf 110 to within 200 m/655 ft of a target.

However, its effectiveness varied massively during the latter half of the conflict as a result of Allied countermeasures and German radar advances alike.

Heavy fighter/fighter-bomber, extreme range versions based on C-series, prepared to operate with external fuel tanks.

The final version, similar to the G, was cancelled before any prototypes were ready after important documents were lost in an air raid on the Waggonbau Gotha factory, which was leading the H-development.

[48] Additionally, the Technik Museum Speyer preserves the wings and other parts from a Bf 110 that were recovered from a lake in Sweden in 1995.

[51] Data from The Warplanes of the Third Reich,[52] Die Deutsche Luftrüstung 1933–1945 Vol.3 – Flugzeugtypen Henschel-Messerschmitt[53]General characteristics Performance Armament Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era