The general usage of the BMW powerplant was abandoned for the Me 262, except for two experimental examples of the plane known as the Me 262 A-1b. The few "Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1b" test examples built used the more developed version of the 003 jet, recording an official top speed of . The Me 262A-1a production version used the competing Jumo 004, whose heavier weight required the wings to be swept back in order to move the center of gravity into the correct position. Work on the 003 continued anyway, and by late 1942 it had been made far more powerful and reliable. The improved engine was flight tested under a Junkers Ju 88 in October 1943 and was finally ready for mass production in August 1944. Completed engines earned a reputation for unreliability; the time between major overhauls (not technically a TBO) was about 50 hours. (The competing Jumo 004's was between thirty and fifty, and may have been as low as ten.) Through 1944 the 003's reliability improved, making it a suitable power plant for air frame designs competing for the "Jägernotprogramm"’s light fighter production contract. which was won by the Heinkel He 162 "Spatz" design.