The Jumo 004, the world's first production jet engine, was used primarily on the ME-262 Fighter and the Arado 234 Bomber.
The "E" model was also the world's first to use an afterburner. The exhaust cone shown in the black and white image was moveable in and out via a jack screw, creating a variable exhaust nozzle.
Unlike piston engines, the 004 tolerated different fuels.
- J-2, its standard fuel, a synthetic fuel produced from coal.
- Diesel oil.
- Aviation gasoline; not considered desirable due to its high rate of consumption.
It also was much easier to produce and cheaper than piston engines; for example the Junker 213 V-12 that was used in the FW-190 cost nearly three times as much as the 004 jet. Also the jet needed less than 1/3 of the manufacturing time and less skilled labor.
Although production was very slow at the beginning, by the end of the war they were producing 1,500 per month despite all the disruptions due to Allied bombing. Estimates of 100,000 engines per year were calculated for 1946 but of course that didn't happen.
Post war, the Soviets copied the engine to power their own Yak-15, France made copies for a couple of their own planes and Yugoslavia also built them for their own copies of the ME-262.
In general, this was an eight stage compressor engine, weighing around 1,585 pounds. It was 152 inches long and 32 inches in diameter, producing 1,980 pounds of thrust at 8,700 rpm. The original versions ran at 9,000 rpm. but this was later reduced along with other modifications to prevent certain vibrations.
The afterburner version developed close to 2,650 pounds of thrust.