While it's fairly common knowledge to enthusiasts that the first jet fighter was the speedy Messerschmitt Me 262, introduced in 1944, the invention of the turbine jet itself may not be as widely known ...

This results in extremely high fuel burn, which is why turbojet engines have largely become obsolete for subsonic aircraft.

Shortly after, the de Havilland Engine Company was formed in early 1944, and with access to the original jet engine development of Sir Frank Whittle, planning led by Frank Halford began for a series ...