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Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet is a rocket-powered interceptor aircraft developed and manufactured by the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt. It is the only operational missile launcher in history, and also the first manned aircraft of any type to exceed 1,000 kilometers per hour (620 miles per year) in level flight. The development of what would become the Me 163 can be traced back to 1937 and the work of German aeronautical engineer Alexander Lippisch and the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS). Initially, it was an experimental program that relied on traditional glider designs with the simultaneous integration of various new innovations such as a rocket engine, but the development was plagued by organizational problems, and Lippisch and his team were not transferred to Messerschmitt in mid-1939. The plans for the helicopter-assistant aircraft were quickly implemented. was persuaded to use the transition directly to the rocket engine. On September 1, 1941, the prototype made its first flight, quickly demonstrating its unprecedented characteristics and quality of design. Having received the necessary defeat, German officials quickly put into action plans aimed at the wide deployment of Me 163 fighters throughout Germany. In December 1941, work began on the modernized Me 163B, which was optimized for large-scale production. In early July 1944, German test pilot Heine Dittmar achieved 1,130 km/h (700 miles/h) - an unofficial flight speed record that remained unmatched for turbojet aircraft until 1953. That same year, the Me 163 began to carry out operational missions, being primarily used to defend against advancing enemy bombing. As part of the alliance with the Japanese Empire, Germany provided the country with the design schemes and the single Me 163; This led to the development of the Mitsubishi J8M. By the end of the conflict, approximately 370 Comets had been built, most of which were used in the workplace. Some of the aircraft's shortcomings were never corrected, and it was less effective in combat than expected. The vehicle was designed to travel a maximum of 7.5 minutes with the engine, but its range did not reach the forecasts and significantly limited its potential. There were reports of efforts to improve the aircraft (most notably, the Messerschmitt Me 263), but many of them did not see combat action during the Allied advance to Germany in 1945. After the introduction of the Me 163 into service, 9 to 18 Allied aircraft were lost against 10 losses. In addition to actual combat losses, many Me 163 pilots perished during test and training flights. Such a high level of costs was, most often, the result of the use of rocket propellants in later models, which were not only very hot, but also corrosive and dangerous to humans. One of the most notable is the fatal death of Josef Pess, a German Luftwaffe ace and lieutenant who died in 1943 after being hit by a T-Stoff due to injuries sustained during a nearby explosion that caused a fuel pipeline to rupture. Outside of Nazi Germany, no nation ever used the Me 163 in combat; The only other effective missile-carrying aircraft was the Japanese Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka, which was a manned flying bomb.