The 13 Fastest Planes of WW2, Ranked by Real Top Speed

The fastest plane of World War II was the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, a German rocket-powered interceptor with a top speed of about 596 mph (959 km/h). No aircraft that fought in the war could catch it in level flight.

The fastest jet was the Messerschmitt Me 262, at about 540 mph (869 km/h). The fastest propeller-driven fighter to see combat was the American P-47M Thunderbolt at 473 mph (761 km/h), just 1 mph ahead of Germany’s Focke-Wulf Ta 152H.

This list ranks aircraft by maximum level speed, and it only counts types that flew operationally before the war ended on September 2, 1945.

Dive speeds, one-off test records and aircraft that arrived too late are covered separately below, because mixing them in is why most WW2 speed lists disagree. For the all-time picture, see our list of the fastest aircraft in the world.

Rank	Aircraft	Country	Power	Top level speed
1	Messerschmitt Me 163B Komet	Germany	Rocket	596 mph (959 km/h)
2	Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1a	Germany	Twin jet	540 mph (869 km/h)
3	Heinkel He 162 A-2	Germany	Single jet	521 mph (839 km/h)
4	Gloster Meteor F.3	UK	Twin jet	493 mph (793 km/h)
5	Republic P-47M Thunderbolt	US	Piston	473 mph (761 km/h)
6	Focke-Wulf Ta 152H-1	Germany	Piston	472 mph (759 km/h)
7	Arado Ar 234B-2 Blitz	Germany	Twin jet	461 mph (742 km/h)
8	Vought F4U-4 Corsair	US	Piston	446 mph (718 km/h)
9	Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIV	UK	Piston	441 mph (710 km/h)
10	Messerschmitt Bf 109 K-4	Germany	Piston	440 mph (710 km/h)
11	North American P-51D Mustang	US	Piston	440 mph (708 km/h)
12	Hawker Tempest V	UK	Piston	435 mph (700 km/h)
13	Focke-Wulf Fw 190 D-9	Germany	Piston	426 mph (686 km/h)

Seven of the 13 are German. The top three are all German jet or rocket designs, and every one of them entered combat in the final year of the war.

1. Messerschmitt Me 163B Komet: 596 mph (959 km/h)

The Me 163 Komet was a tailless rocket plane built to do one thing: climb into a bomber stream faster than any escort could react. The Planes of Fame Air Museum lists its top speed at 596 mph (959 km/h).

The speed came at a brutal price. The Smithsonian notes it carried only enough fuel for about eight minutes of powered flight. It took off from a two-wheeled dolly and landed on a skid.

According to the RAF Museum, Komets first engaged American B-17s on August 16, 1944. The Smithsonian credits them with only nine kills, and other counts run as high as 18, against about 10 Komets lost in combat. That record is why it also appears among the worst fighter planes of WW2.

2. Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1a: 540 mph (869 km/h)

The Me 262 Schwalbe was the first jet fighter to meet enemy aircraft in combat, engaging a Mosquito reconnaissance aircraft over Munich on July 26, 1944. The Smithsonian puts its top speed at about 540 mph (869 km/h), and some references list up to 559 mph (900 km/h).

Unlike the Komet, it could stay up long enough to fight. German pilots claimed 542 Allied aircraft, although the Smithsonian says only about 300 of the 1,443 built ever saw combat.

Its Jumo 004 turbojets were its weakness. Throttle response was slow and thrust was weak at low speed, which left the jet vulnerable on takeoff and landing. It was one of several German jet aircraft of WWII that arrived too late and in too few numbers to change the war.

3. Heinkel He 162 A-2: 521 mph (839 km/h)

The He 162 Volksjäger, or “People’s Fighter,” first flew on December 6, 1944, and was in combat about four months later. Its single jet engine sat on top of a fuselage built mostly from wood, because metal was in short supply.

It reached 521 mph (839 km/h) at 19,700 feet (6,000 m). With its emergency boost it was rated at 562 mph (905 km/h), which would edge past the Me 262’s museum figure, so the order of places two and three depends on which number you accept.

Only about 120 were delivered, and fuel for roughly 20 minutes kept it on a short leash. Its first confirmed kill came on April 19, 1945, and the pilot was shot down the same day.

4. Gloster Meteor F.3: 493 mph (793 km/h)

The Meteor was the first Allied jet fighter, and the F.3 is the fastest Allied aircraft on this list. It reached 493 mph (793 km/h) at 30,000 feet (9,100 m).

No. 616 Squadron flew its first Meteor sortie on July 27, 1944, and the early F.1s brought down 14 V-1 flying bombs. The faster F.3 reached the squadron that December and moved to the continent in 1945 for armed reconnaissance and ground attack.

The jet-versus-jet duel everyone expected never happened. As History of War puts it, the much-anticipated clash with the Me 262 never came.

5. Republic P-47M Thunderbolt: 473 mph (761 km/h)

The P-47M was Republic’s answer to the German jets. Engineers took P-47D airframes, fitted a 2,800 hp R-2800-57C engine and a new propeller, and pushed the Thunderbolt to 473 mph (761 km/h).

Only 130 production P-47Ms were ordered. Deliveries began in December 1944, but engine trouble held back their combat debut until a few weeks before the war in Europe ended.

6. Focke-Wulf Ta 152H-1: 472 mph (759 km/h)

The Ta 152H was a high-altitude development of the Fw 190. With GM-1 boost it reached 472 mph (759 km/h) at 41,000 feet (12,500 m), although at sea level, even with MW 50 boost, it managed 360 mph (580 km/h).

It saw service with JG 301 in the last months of the war. Its final score was probably seven victories for four losses in air combat, and nobody knows exactly how many were built.

7. Arado Ar 234B-2 Blitz: 461 mph (742 km/h)

The Ar 234 was the world’s first operational jet bomber. A prototype flew the first jet reconnaissance mission on August 2, 1944, and the B-2 bomber reached 461 mph (742 km/h) at 19,700 feet (6,000 m).

Early versions took off from a jettisonable trolley and landed on skids. Its best-known mission was the attempt to destroy the Remagen bridge on March 7 to 17, 1945, when most bombs missed and flak took a heavy toll. Only 210 were built.

8. Vought F4U-4 Corsair: 446 mph (718 km/h)

The F4U-4 was the last Corsair variant to see action in World War II, with deliveries starting in early 1945. Its water-injected engine delivered up to 2,450 hp and a top speed of 446 mph (718 km/h).

Across all variants, F4U and FG pilots claimed 2,140 air victories against 189 losses to enemy aircraft, a ratio of more than 11 to 1.

9. Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIV: 441 mph (710 km/h)

The Griffon-engined Mk XIV was the fastest Spitfire to fight in numbers, reaching 441 mph (710 km/h) at 29,500 feet (9,000 m). It was also the most successful Spitfire mark against the V-1 flying bomb.

The Spitfire also owns the most misquoted speed of the war.

On April 27, 1944, Squadron Leader Martindale took a Mk XI to 620 mph (998 km/h), or Mach 0.92, in a test dive that damaged the aircraft. That is a diving speed, not a top speed, and Spitfire figures above 600 mph on other lists trace back to dives like it.

For the full story of the RAF’s wartime fighters, see our guide to the best British fighter planes of WW2.

10. Messerschmitt Bf 109 K-4: 440 mph (710 km/h)

The K-4 was the final production version of the Bf 109, a fighter that first saw combat in the Spanish Civil War. With MW 50 water-methanol injection it reached 440 mph (710 km/h) at 24,600 feet (7,500 m), and 416 mph (670 km/h) without it.

It was not a rare prototype. By the end of January 1945, 314 K-4s were on hand with front-line Luftwaffe units, about one in every four Bf 109s.

11. North American P-51D Mustang: 440 mph (708 km/h)

The P-51D is probably the best-known fighter on this list, but not the fastest. At 440 mph (708 km/h) it was level with the Bf 109 K-4 and a fraction behind the Spitfire XIV.

Its strength was speed combined with range, not raw speed. The lighter P-51H that followed was faster still, but it arrived too late to fight.

12. Hawker Tempest V: 435 mph (700 km/h)

The Tempest V was the RAF’s best low- to medium-altitude fighter. It reached 435 mph (700 km/h) at 17,000 feet (5,200 m) and 390 mph (628 km/h) at sea level.

That low-level speed made it ideal against the V-1. Tempest squadrons destroyed 638 of the 1,846 flying bombs brought down by aircraft.

13. Focke-Wulf Fw 190 D-9: 426 mph (686 km/h)

The long-nosed “Dora” replaced the Fw 190‘s radial engine with a liquid-cooled Jumo 213A. With MW 50 boost it reached 426 mph (686 km/h) at 21,650 feet (6,600 m).

A total of 1,805 D-9s were built between August 1944 and April 1945. They were used mostly against Allied fighters and for ground attack rather than against heavy bombers.

Just below the cut sit the de Havilland Mosquito B Mk XVI at 415 mph (668 km/h), the P-38L Lightning at 414 mph (666 km/h) and the Soviet La-7 at 411 mph (661 km/h).

Built in the war, too late to fight: the near misses

Several aircraft that flew during the war were faster than most of the list above but never fought in it. These are the planes that turn up on other rankings, and they are why those rankings disagree.

Aircraft	Speed	Why it is not ranked
Me 163B V18 (test)	702 mph (1,130 km/h)	Unofficial test flight, July 1944
Lockheed XP-80	502 mph (808 km/h)	Prototype; two YP-80As flew reconnaissance in Italy but never fought
Republic XP-47J	504 mph (811 km/h)	One-off prototype, August 1944
de Havilland Hornet F.1	475 mph (764 km/h)	First flew July 1944, entered service in 1946
Dornier Do 335 Pfeil	474 mph (763 km/h)	About 48 built, never flown in combat
North American P-51H	472 mph (760 km/h)	Arrived too late for WW2
Grumman F8F Bearcat	455 mph (732 km/h)	Squadron-ready May 1945, war ended first; speed is the postwar F8F-2

The Lockheed P-80 is the most common intruder. The 594 mph figure often quoted for it belongs to the postwar P-80C at sea level, while the XP-80 prototype reached 502 mph (808 km/h) at 20,480 feet (6,240 m).

Two pre-production YP-80As reached Italy in early 1945 and flew reconnaissance missions, but the P-80 Shooting Star never engaged in combat during the war.

What was the fastest propeller plane of WW2?

It depends on whether it had to fight. The fastest propeller-driven fighter to see combat was the P-47M at 473 mph (761 km/h), with the Ta 152H 1 mph behind.

If any propeller plane that flew during the war counts, the Hornet F.1 at 475 mph and the Do 335 at a claimed 474 mph are effectively tied. The Do 335’s push-pull layout, with one engine in the nose and one in the tail, makes it a favorite among the fastest twin piston aircraft ever built.

The Do 335 had an ejection seat, and the pilot could blow off the rear propeller and tail fin with explosive bolts before bailing out. In April 1945 the French ace Pierre Clostermann, leading four Tempests, spotted one at treetop height and chose not to chase it.

The one-off Republic XP-47J went faster than all of them, reaching 504 mph (811 km/h) on August 4, 1944. It was never put into production.

FAQ

What was the fastest plane in WW2?

The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet rocket interceptor was the fastest plane to fly operationally in World War II, with a top speed of about 596 mph (959 km/h). It first engaged American bombers in August 1944. Its powered flight lasted only about eight minutes.

What was the fastest propeller plane in WW2?

The fastest propeller fighter to see combat was the Republic P-47M Thunderbolt at 473 mph (761 km/h), 1 mph ahead of the Focke-Wulf Ta 152H. The de Havilland Hornet at 475 mph and the Dornier Do 335 at a claimed 474 mph were slightly faster but never fought in the war. The one-off XP-47J prototype reached 504 mph in August 1944.

What was the fastest Allied plane of WW2?

The Gloster Meteor F.3 jet, at 493 mph (793 km/h), was the fastest Allied aircraft in front-line squadron service. Two pre-production American YP-80A jets flew reconnaissance in Italy in early 1945 but never saw combat. The fastest Allied propeller fighter in combat was the P-47M Thunderbolt at 473 mph (761 km/h).

How fast was the Me 262?

The Smithsonian gives the Me 262 a top speed of about 540 mph (869 km/h), and some references list up to 559 mph (900 km/h). That made it the fastest jet fighter of the war.

Was the Mosquito faster than the Spitfire?

Not by the end of the war. In 1941 the Mosquito was one of the fastest operational aircraft in the world, and the B Mk XVI reached 415 mph (668 km/h). The Griffon-engined Spitfire Mk XIV was faster, at 441 mph (710 km/h).

Did any WW2 plane break the sound barrier?

No wartime aircraft is credited with it. The closest verified approach was a Spitfire Mk XI that reached 620 mph, or Mach 0.92, in a test dive on April 27, 1944, and was damaged in the process.

Which plane flew faster than its bullets?

That was the Grumman F11F Tiger, a Navy jet from after the war. On September 21, 1956, test pilot Tom Attridge fired his cannons in a shallow dive, kept descending, and flew into his own rounds as their trajectory dropped. He crash-landed and survived. No WW2 fighter is known for this.