The Messerschmitt Me 263 Scholle (plaice)[1] was a rocket-powered fighter aircraft developed from the Me 163 Komet towards the end of World War II.

Three prototypes were built but never flown under their own power as the rapidly deteriorating military situation in Germany prevented the completion of the test program.Although the Me 163 had very short endurance, it had originally been even shorter.

Not only did this sharply limit endurance, during flight testing pilots found the aircraft quickly exhibited compressibility effects as they levelled out from the climb and the speed picked up.

This problem was addressed in the larger[2] Me 163C, which featured the same HWK 509B or -C dual chamber rocket engine already tested on the Me 163B V6 and V18 prototypes.

Since the aircraft spent only a short time climbing, this meant the endurance at combat altitude would more than double.

It retained the new pressurized cockpit and bubble canopy of the 163C, with more fuel capacity, and added a new retractable landing gear.

V13 had deteriorated from weather exposure, so only v18 was rebuilt, but had been flown by test pilot Heini Dittmar to a record-setting 1,130 kilometres per hour (700 mph) on July 6, 1944 and suffered near-total destruction of its rudder surface as a result.

Eventually, the production aircraft would have repositioned the engine or the landing gear installation to solve this problem.

Data from Die Deutsche Luftrüstung 1933–1945 Vol.3 – Flugzeugtypen Henschel-Messerschmitt [6]General characteristics Performance Armament