Me-4000 Interceptor

Me-4000

Country of Origin: Third Reich/German Republic
Role: Interceptor
Designer: Messerschmitt
Crew: 2

Armament: 1x 20mm VC FF
8x Hardpoints for Ordnance
-RM-15 IR Air to Air Missile
-RM-25 Advanced IR Air to Air Missile
-RM-30 Semi-Radar Guided Air to Air Missile
-RM-60 Fire & Forget Air to Air Missile
-RM-40 Long Range F&F Air to Air Missile

Other Users: Vichy France/French Republic, Venezuela, Iraq, Iran, South Africa

The 1970s began the dawn of a new generation of American and British fighter aircraft which had begun to overtake Nazi Germany’s third generation aircraft. New fighters and interceptors such as the F-15 Eagle, British Tempest, F/A-18 Hornet, and F-16 Falcon were all either in production or coming out of development. The Reich’s large number of Messerschmitts, Focke-Wulfs, Dornier-Junkers, and Heinkels were falling behind. Although Germany possessed large numbers of third generation aircraft, their quality was starting to decline compared to the NATO partners. Directed by the Reich Defense Ministry calls for a new fourth generation fighter were made.

Messerschmitt a long time supplier of German fighter aircraft was the winner of the initial contest. Internal Reich politics would see different fourth generation aircraft taken from nearly every Reich aircraft defense contract, the Me-4000 would be the first and one of the better aircraft. Designed to match and exceed the F-15 and Tempest F3, the Me-4000 featured a delta wing design. Usually delta wings were more desirable for speed but the development of computer aided flight controls, helped counter the maneuverability problems. Thanks to the new flight controls the Me-4000 would be able to now have the best of both worlds. The large wing space and body allows for eight hardpoints giving the Me-4000 a heavy missile load. It was also armed with the new 20mm cannon (modeled on the American M61) Twin B-150 jet engines gave the Me-4000 high speed and excellent thrust to weight power. It could shoot straight up to nearly 60,000 feet with a rate of climb of 250 meters per second.

The Me-4000 also received new radar in its nose, an all-weather, multimode, X-band pulse-doppler which gave the pilots both long range engagement possibilities along with look down shoot down radar. It was the first Luftwaffe aircraft to have a real chance of intercepting NATO cruise missiles (previous radars worked far less than advertised). The first Me-4000s began to enter service in 1982. Operational deployments went first to the Luftwaffe’s Luftflotte Reich, the Third Reich’s air defense units following those deployments the ‘frontline’ Geschwader of Luftflotte 2. Me-400s arrived at airfields in Vichy France and former Low Countries.

British pilots were the first to observe the Me-4000 in flight. NATO intelligence aircraft monitored exercises with the new fighter over the North Sea, while RAF pilots encountered the Me-4000 over the English Channel. Prior to the collapse of Nazi Germany, Luftwaffe aircraft would often challenge the air defense response of the NATO aircraft in England. British Tempest pilots got to look the Me-4000 over and occasionally test its ability. American pilots in England also did so, with both countries decrying the Me-4000 to represent a real threat. In a war time situation the Me-4000s would most likely lead the German effort to gain air superiority over the United Kingdom. Additionally Me-4000s armed with the long range RM-40 ‘AWACS killer’ missile (only two of the heavy missiles could be carried) could dash in and attempt to knock NATO E-3 Sentries from the skies. The Luftwaffe also envisioned the Me-4000 for air defense against low level American F-111s or British TRS-2. Germany feared the low level attack bombers which could slip past their air defenses and deliver nuclear weapons.

The Me-4000 would not see combat in German hands, the collapse of the Nazi state resulted in the end of the Cold War. Needing economic success somewhere Germany began exporting many of its Reich era equipment to willing buyers. This included Iraq who used Me-4000s as part of their invasion of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in 1996. However the performance of the Iraqi Me-4000s was poor. American and Allied pilots who encountered them found the Iraqi’s training to be poor. Too often it was found the Iraqi pilots thought the aircraft’s technology would make up for their own airmanship. A few Me-4000s were used effectively by elite pilots such as Abdul Awad. One of Iraq’s aces, he managed to down four Saudi, three American, and two British aircraft with his own Me-4000. Too few of Iraq’s pilots had such skill, and the air war went in the Allies favor.

Today the Me-4000 has undergone upgrades to its radar and other electronic systems. Carried out by the much reduced Messerschmitt AG. Upgraded Me-4000s are currently in use with the French, South African, and Iranian air forces. It will most likely be flying well into the 21st Century.

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Okay so here's an alternate history fighter jet for Nazi Germany. The writing is done as if there was an American-Nazi Cold War which ended with a German collapse. Its influenced by the Mirage family, namely the III and 2000. The paint selection is my effort to do a modern take on old school German WWII camouflage with darker tops and lighter bottoms. I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Thanks for any comments.