One of the other big parts of the technology used during WWII was most definitely jet aircraft. Jet aircraft provided very fast transportation. The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Manufacturing this plane started before WWII, but it had many roles during the war. Some of the roles included light bombing and aerial reconnaissance. Aerial reconnaissance is where aerial vehicles would go into enemy territory to gather important information. The British Gloster Meteor was the first ever British jet fighter. Its first flight was on March 5th, 1943. The Gloster Meteor relied heavily on its ground-breaking turbojet engines. This jet proved to be a very successful combat fighter. The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first ever jet fighter used by the United States Army Air Forces. It was built in 143 days, and its first flight was on January 8th, 1944. The jet exceeded over 600 MPH.