Heinkel He 119

Heinkel He 119
	f2
Type:	Speed bomb and experimental aircraft
Design country:	German Empire
Manufacturer:	Heinkel
First flight:	June 1937
Commissioning:	-
Production time:	1935-1940
Number of pieces:	approx 8

The Heinkel He 119 was a German record aircraft from Ernst Heinkel Flugzeugwerke , which was planned as a fast reconnaissance aircraft and was later to serve as an initial model for a high-speed bomber.

history

The He 119 was developed from autumn 1935 under the project name P. 1055 and was supposed to take into account all manufacturing and aerodynamic knowledge of the time. After the first flights of the He 119 V1 in the summer of 1937, Heinkel was forbidden from any further work by the Reich Ministry of Aviation (RLM) because, in its opinion, the machine was not expected to be of military use. However, despite Heinkel's threats, the work continued. After the completion of the V5, however, all work was stopped following a renewed development ban.

construction

In order to achieve maximum speeds, the frontal area of the aircraft was minimized by arranging the main components one behind the other. The engine was relocated to the center of the fuselage and the propeller was driven by a propeller shaft that ran through the crew compartment at the very front. The only possible drive was a Daimler-Benz DB 606 twin engine with 2350 hp, as otherwise no powerful engines were available. The DB 606 consisted of two V-12 engines of the type Daimler-Benz DB 601 A1 arranged side by side at an inclination of 44 ° , which acted on a common propeller shaft. Similar to the Heinkel He 100 , surface evaporative cooling was also provided for the He 119, with the same problems.

In 1937 the He 119 V4 reached a measured top speed of 620 km / h at an altitude of 4200 m. In the subsequent record flight of 1000 km, an average speed of 504.988 km / h was determined. This record only lasted a week, however, as an Italian Breda 88 set a new record. A second record attempt ended in a crash landing due to lack of fuel.

In addition to the normal land version, a sea version with floats was also tested. Series production as a high-speed bomber did not take place, as the aircraft was considerably more expensive compared to other similar aircraft. Only five prototypes were made, all of which were scrapped.

Export to Japan

After the development work had ceased, the RLM forced Heinkel to release the He 119 for export. Japan then acquired both the V7 and V8 models in addition to the reproduction rights.

The machines were transported to Japan in boxes, reassembled there in the test center of the Japanese Navy Air Force and flown in by Captain Nitschke. However, there was no replica. One influence can be seen in the design of the Yokosuka R2Y "Keiun", which was driven by a replica DB-606 engine. Here, too, the design with a mid-engine and a long-distance shaft was chosen.

Technical specifications

Three-sided view

Parameter	Data (Heinkel He 119 A)
span	15.9 m
length	14.72 m
height	5.4 m
Empty mass	5440 kg
Max. Takeoff mass	7565 kg
Top speed	590 km / h
Service ceiling	8500 m
Range	3120 km
Armament	1 × MG 15 , 1000 kg bomb load

literature

Heinkel Projekt 1055 - Heinkel He 119. (Aviation Report, Issue 1) Verlag Heinz Nickel, 1993, ZDB -ID 2619386-3 .
Volker Koos: Ernst Heinkel Flugzeugwerke 1933–1945 . Heel, Königswinter 2003, ISBN 3-89880-217-5 , p. 81-83 .

Web links

Commons : Heinkel He 119 - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

William Pearce: Heinkel He 119. Old Machine Press, December 5, 2012, accessed October 1, 2017 .