The Do 335 was the first military aircraft to be equipped with an ejection seat. It also featured explosive bolts that would separate the tail from the rest of the fuselage to make sure the ejection would be safe.
With its front and rear engine, the Do 335 was a unique type of airplane. Very compact and very fast, it was meant from the start to be built in two versions: a single- and a two-seater. The prototype flew for the first time in October, 1943. Armed with a 30mm cannon and two 15mm cannon, the standard line type was equipped with two DB 603E-1 engines developing 1,800 each.
As with the Me 262, Hitler wanted the aircraft to be a bomber, and that delayed the project for 18 months. 10 preproduction Do 335 were built to be assessed in operation. Only 11 operational single seater and 2 two-seater had been produced when the Oberpfaffenhofen plant was seized by the Allied in 1945. Had the war lasted longer, the Dornier 335 would have made a formidable opponent to the Allied airplanes.
Specifications
| Type: | Fighter-bomber |
| Engine: | 2x Daimler-Benz DB603E |
| Max speed: | 765 Km/h (447 mph) |
| Rate of climb: | 1 200 m/min (3940 ft./min.) |
| Ceiling: | 11 400 m (37,400 ft.) |
| Range: | 1 160 Km (720 mi.) |
| Weight (empty): | 7400 kg (19,500 lb.) |
| Weight (loaded): | 9 590 Kg (14,110 lb.) |
| Wingspan: | 13.8m (45’4″) |
| Length: | 13.87m (45’6″) |
| Height: | 5 m (16 ft. 4.75 in.) |
| Armament: | 2x 20mm MG 151/20 + 1x 30mm MK103; up to 1 000 kg (2,200 lb.) of bombs. |
