Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant was a largest land-based German military transport aircraft of World War II. It was a powered variant of the Me321 glider.
Design and Structure
- Type: Six-engined transport monoplane.
- Wings:
- Configuration: High-wing, semi-cantilever with a wide-span center-section supported by a single strut on each side.
- Structure:
- Center-section: Plywood-covered with steel tube members and N-braces, creating a rectangular girder spar structure.
- Outer Sections: Continuation of the taper with dihedral angle, plywood covering the leading edge and back to the spar, with the rest fabric-covered.
- Control Surfaces: Entire trailing edge is hinged; outer portions serve as ailerons and inner sections as flaps. These are carried on steel tube outriggers from the main spar. The ailerons have combined servo and trim-tabs, aided by an electric servo-motor in each wing.
- Fuselage:
- Construction: Rectangular welded steel tubing framework covered with fabric over a secondary wood fairing structure.
- Floor: Main floor in the forward fuselage supported by substantial cross girders.
- Tail Unit:
- Type: Braced monoplane with an all-wood structure. The tail unit and the portion of the fuselage it attaches to can hinge hydraulically, adjusting tail incidence from +2.5 to -5 degrees.
Landing Gear
- Type: Multi-wheel setup with ten wheels designed to navigate ground obstacles like a caterpillar track.
- Arrangement: Tandem alongside the lower edge of the fuselage, housed in elongated paddle-box type fairings. The wheels are sprung by coil springs, keeping the aircraft horizontal regardless of load distribution.
- Features: Six main wheels with pneumatic brakes.
Power Plant
- Engines: Six Gnome-Rhône 14N 48/49 fourteen-cylinder radial air-cooled engines, each producing 990 hp at 12,200 ft (3,720 m).
- Propellers: Variable-pitch metal or fixed-pitch wooden airscrews, with port engines as L.H. tractors and starboard engines as R.H. tractors.
- Fuel Capacity: 2,364 Imperial gallons (10,740 liters) in twelve self-sealing fuel tanks in the wings, with some versions having additional tanks in the freight compartment.
- Engine Control: Two flight engineers, each controlling three engines on their side of the fuselage from positions within the wing roots.
- Rocket Assist: Provision for four rockets under the wings for assisted take-off.
Accommodation
- Crew: Typically five, including two pilots, two flight engineers, and one radio operator.
- Cockpit: Armored, seating two pilots side-by-side with dual controls in front of the wing’s leading edge.
- Engineers: Positioned in the leading edge of the wings.
- Main Hold: 36 ft long, 10 ft 3 in wide, and 11 ft high, occupying the full cross-section of the fuselage with a cubic capacity of 3,530 cu ft. The nose can split into two outwardly-hinging doors for loading.
Specifications:
variant | Me 323 V-1 (prototype of Me 323 C) | Me 323 D | Me 323 E-2 | Me 323 E-2/WT (“gunship”) |
crew | 8 | 10 | 12 | 17 |
wingspan (m) | 55,00 | 55,00 | 55,00 | 55,00 |
lenght (m) | 28,15 | 28,15 | 28,15 | 28,15 |
height (m) | 9,60 | 9,60 | 9,60 | 9,60 |
wing area (m2) | 300,00 | 300,00 | 300,00 | 300,00 |
gross weight (kg) | 25400 | 27330 | 29000 | 32000 |
normal take-off weight (kg) | 34000 | 43000 | 48000 | 40000 |
max take-off weight (kg) | 36000 | 45000 | 50000 | 42000 |
payload (kg) | 6000 – 8000 | 10000 – 12000 | 9000 – 10000 | – |
capacity (troops) | 130 | 120 | – | |
engines | 4 x Gnome-Rhône 14N-48/49, 1164 hp | 6 x Gnome-Rhône 14N-48/49, 1164 hp | 6 x Gnome-Rhône 14N-48/49, 1164 hp | 6 x Gnome-Rhône 14N-48/49, 1164 hp |
max speed (km/h) | 220 | 280 | 252 | 255 |
cruising speed (km/h) | 170 | 186 at 1500m | 208 at 1500m | 225 at 1500m |
landing speed (km/h) | 115 | 120 | 120 | 120 |
service ceiling (m) | 2000 | 4500 | 4200 | 4500 |
range (km) | 1100 | 750-1100 | 1100-1300 | 1000-1200 |
endurance | 6h | 4,5h | 5,5h | 5h |
take off run (m) | 900 | 850 | 800 | 800 |
landing run (m) | 500 | 600 | 700 | 600 |
armament | 4 x MG15 | 2 x MG151/20, 5 x MG131 | 11 x MG151/20, 4x MG131 |