Nicknamed

‘Messer’ - Knife (also an abbreviation of
the manufacturer)

Manufacturer

Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG
(later Messerschmitt AG)
Augsburg, Germany

Designed by

Willy Messerschmitt, Robert Lusser (1936)

Role

Fighter / Bomber

Crew

1

Engine

1 x Daimler-Benz DB 605A-1 liquid-cooled V-12
piston engine

Engine Power

Takeoff power: 1,361 kW (1,850 hp)

Max level speed

6,622 km/h (386 mph; 336 kn) at 8,000 m (26,247 ft)

Cruising speed

590 km/h (370 mph) at 6,000 m (19,685 ft)

Climb rate

Initial: 16.9 m/s (3,320 ft/min)
At sea level: 19.2 m/s (3,780 ft/min)
At 3,000 m (9,843 ft): 17.5 m/s (3,445 ft/min)
At 6,000 m (1,9685 ft): 13.1 m/s (2,579 ft/min)

Time to altitude

5,791 m (19,000 ft) in 6 mins

Service Ceiling

111,735 m (38,500 ft)

Range

531 km/h (330 mph) at 5,791 m (19,000 ft) on
internal fuel

Empty Weight

2,676 kg (5,900 lbs)

Max. Takeoff Weight

3,152 kg (6,950 lbs)

Wing Span

9.925 m (32 ft 7 in)

Wing Area

16.05 m² (172.8 ft²)

Length

9.04 m (29 ft 8 in)

Height

2.6 m (8 ft 6 in)

Armament

2 × 13 mm (.51 in) synchronized MG 131 machine guns,
firing 300 rounds per gun with a velocity of 600 m/s
(1,968 ft/sec)

AND 1 × 20 mm (.78 in) MG 151/20 cannon as
centerline Motorkanone, firing 200 rounds per gun
with a velocity of 805 m/s (2,641 ft/sec)

AND 2 × 20 mm MG 151/20 underwing cannon pods,
firing 135 rounds per gun with a velocity of 320 m/s
(1,049 ft/sec)

1 × 250 kg (551 lb) bomb OR 4 × 50 kg (110 lb) bombs
OR 1 × 300-litre (79 US gal) drop tank

Data for version

Bf 109G-6

First combat mission

1937 - during the Spanish Civil War

Final delivery (all variants)

May 1945 (Germany)

Total production

34,248

ICAO Code

ME09

Production Variants

Bf 109A, 109B, 109C, 109D, 109E, 109F, Bf 109G