Messerschmitt Bf 162

The Messerschmitt Bf 162 was a light bomber aircraft designed in Germany prior to World War II, which flew only in prototype form.

Design and development

The Bf 162 was designed in response to a 1935 RLM specification for a schnellbomber for tactical use. Messerschmitt's design was a modified Bf 110 with a glazed nose to accommodate a bombardier. In 1937, three prototypes were flown against rival designs, the Junkers [Ju 88] and the Henschel Hs 127, both entirely new aircraft.
It was eventually decided that the Ju 88 be selected for production, and development of the Bf 162 ended. As a disinformation tactic, images of the Bf 162 were widely circulated in the German press, captioned as the "Messerschmitt Jaguar", a name never used outside this context.
This aircraft's RLM official airframe number of 8-162 was later re-used for the Heinkel He 162 jet fighter.