Summary He 280, 1st jet fighter to fly, developed ejector seat Nakajima Kikka, 1st Japanese jet, influenced by Me 262 P-80 Shooting Star, 1st US jet, outclassed in Korean War As World War II drew to a close, the fighter jet age had dawned. Great Britain and Germany led the charge and had operational fighter jets by May 1945. The United States (with the P-50 Shooting Star) and Japan followed behind and were nearly fielding their first fighter jets.
Italy had a fighter jet program, but it was defeated in 1943, and the Soviet Union was far behind (the USSR quickly caught up post-war with captured German technology and reverse-engineered British jet engine technology ). Here are five early fighter jets of World War II. 5 Heinkel He 280 The Heinkel He 280 first flew in September 1940 First flew: 1941 (with jet engine power) Role: fighter Notable for: First jet fighter to fly, first jet to use ejector seat The twin-engined Heinkel He 280 was groundbreaking in developing fighter jets and could reach speeds of around 500 mph (much faster than its contemporary fighters).
The Heinkel He 280 became the first fighter jet to fly in the world and built on the success of the He 178 (the world's first aircraft to fly with a turbojet engine in August 1939). Despite its advanced design, the Heinkel He 280 was canceled and sidelined in favor of the Messerschmitt Me 262 and only remained in the prototype stage. Its development was an important step in developing fighter jets.
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