Arado Ar 234 B Blitz

The Ar 234 B Blitz, the world's first operational jet bomber and reconnaissance airplane. Developed by the Germans in WWII, the Ar 234 performed its first mission on Aug. 2, 1944, gathering information on the Allied beachhead in Normandy. Along with the more famous Me 262, the Blitz could outfly any Allied piston aircraft and the few that reached Luftwaffe units provided excellent service, especially in survelliance.

This Ar 234 at the National Air & Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Annex is the sole known survivor of its type. It was captured by British forces in Norway towards the end of the war and turned over to the United States, where it was brought to Wright Field in Ohio for testing from 1946-1949. It was given to the Smithsonian in 1949 and restored from 1984-1989. [link]