# Would late-WW2 fighters have benefited from swept wings?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-late-ww2-fighters-have-benefited-from-swept-wings/269350>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 15, 2004, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-late-ww2-fighters-have-benefited-from-swept-wings/269350 "2004-10-15T11:16:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Roches](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bc8723/32.png) [@Roches](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roches)\
**Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-late-ww2-fighters-have-benefited-from-swept-wings/269350/21 "2004-10-17T09:40:57Z")

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Bookkeeper: I recall reading that the Me-262’s wings were swept back when the engines were changed, not the undercarriage. It says [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me-262) that the wings were swept when the unreliable Junkers Jumo 003 engine was replaced with the heavier Jumo 004. Same reason, though – the center of gravity would have been too far forward, so they swept the wings back. The [prototype](http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/me262.html) was a tail-dragger, and I guess it must have had straight wings.

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**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\
**Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-late-ww2-fighters-have-benefited-from-swept-wings/269350/22 "2004-10-17T10:13:51Z")

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> [@tomndebb](#):
>
> In fact, the T-2 Buckeye, originally built in 1960, but only recently scheduled for retiremant, is a _jet_ with straight wings (and performance speeds slightly higher than those of WWII fighters).
> 
> There are actually quite a few high-subsonic jet planes (including fighters) that have used straight wings with some success.

Yep…and much more modern ones than you listed such as the [A-10 Thunderbolt (aka Warthog)](http://www.a-10.org/photos/p.asp?FileName=030313%2DF%2D3408B%2D015%2Ejpg).

IANAAerospace Engineer but it would seem anything meant for low and slow flight benefits from straight wings with swept wings benefiting faster planes. Where the changeover occurs but at a pure guess it seems when planes start being meant to fly over 350 mph (WAG) you start seeing swept wings.

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