Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse
The Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse (Hornet) is a German heavy fighter and Schnellbomber, or "Fast Bomber" in English, used by the Luftwaffe during World War II. Though an incremental improvement of the Me 210, it had a new wing plan, longer fuselage and engines of greater power. The changes were significant enough for the aircraft to be renamed the Me 410.
Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse
Basic side-by-side comparison of the Me 210 and Me 410 wing planforms
The RAF Museum's Me 410, with the doors of its nose bomb-bay open, 2016
The RAF Museum's Me 410 with the engines and the outer-wings removed, 2020
A heavy fighter is a historic category of fighter aircraft produced in the 1930s and 1940s, designed to carry heavier weapons or operate at longer ranges than light fighter aircraft. To achieve performance, most heavy fighters were twin-engine, and many had multi-place crews; this was in contrast to light fighters, which were typically single-engine and single-crew aircraft. In Germany, these larger fighters were known as Zerstörer ("destroyer").
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