The Messerschmitt Me 262 was not the first jet fighter to take to the skies. That honour fell to the Heinkel He 280, closely followed by the Gloster E.28/39. Nor was the Me 262 the fastest weapon in the Luftwaffe's arsenal. The rocket-propelled Messerschmitt Me 163 could reach a maximum speed of 960 kilometres per hour during its four-minute powered flight - considerably faster than the jet-powered Stormbird. Despite its advanced design, the operational life expectancy of the Me 262's powerplant, the Jumo 004B turbojet, was a ludicrously short 10 to 25 hours due to the scarcity of suitable high-temperature alloys. To make matters worse, the Jumo turbojet was plagued with reliability problems right up to the end of the war. Operationally, the Messerschmitt Me 262 was sparsely deployed and also notoriously vulnerable on its long take-off and landing, requiring dedicated fighter cover - by piston-engine aircraft - over its long runways. The new jet fighter was unforgiving to inexperienced pilots too.
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