Henschel Hs 128

Henschel Hs 128
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Type:	High-altitude research aircraft
Design country:	German Empire
Manufacturer:	Henschel
First flight:	April 11, 1939
Production time:	1938/1939
Number of pieces:	2

The Henschel Hs 128 was a German high-altitude research aircraft made by Henschel Flugzeug-Werke AG

development

The aircraft was developed by Friedrich Nicolaus from July 1937 in anticipation of a future order from the RLM for a test high-altitude aircraft. The aircraft was a cantilever, low-wing, all-metal construction with a rigid normal landing gear. In order to be able to reach heights well over 10,000 meters, the Hs 128 was equipped with a pressurized cabin for the two-man crew and with TK 9 exhaust gas turbochargers for the two Daimler-Benz DB-601 engines. A dummy was completed in February 1938 and viewed by representatives of the RLM, the DVL and the DLH . In April the official order was placed by the RLM. Two prototypes were built. The first made its maiden flight a year later on April 11, 1939 with the Henschel works pilot Hans-Wilhelm Kaempf. Since the turbochargers did not work satisfactorily in the test model V-1, the Hs 128 V-1 only reached a height of 9,500 meters during the test. The subsequently manufactured Hs 128 V-2 was to receive two Junkers Jumo 210 G and exhaust gas turbocharger TK 16, with which up to 17,000 meters should be reached. However, its construction was delayed due to the postponement of the project in favor of the attack aircraft Hs 129 and was not completed until August 1939. Since the development of the TK 16 turbocharger had meanwhile been discontinued, the second prototype now also received two DB 601s instead of the planned Jumo drives, which further delayed the program. The V-2 with the registration D–APXNfinally flew for the first time on March 20, 1940. After completion of the tests, on May 7th, as before on March 8th, the V-1 went to the DVL. The project was discontinued in the same year for lack of need for such a high-altitude aircraft. Henschel had already turned to the successor Hs 130 .

Technical specifications

Parameter	Data (Henschel Hs 128 V-1)
crew	2
span	26.02 m
length	14.77 m
height	5.51 m
Wing area	72.83 m²
Empty mass	6,680 kg
Takeoff mass	10,250 kg
Wing loading	140 kg / m²
Power load	5.39 kg / hp
Area performance	26.1 hp / m²
drive	two liquid-cooled twelve - cylinder engines DB 601 with four-blade adjustable propellers
Starting power	950 PS each (approx. 700 kW)
Top speed	450 km / h
Summit height	16,800 m (theoretical) 9,500 m (practical)
Range	2,500 km (practical)

See also

• List of aircraft types

literature

• Heinz J. Nowarra : The German Air Armament 1933-1945 . Volume 3: Henschel - Messerschmitt aircraft types. Bernard & Graefe, Koblenz 1993, ISBN 3-7637-5467-9 .
• Horst Materna: The history of the Henschel aircraft works A. G. in Schönefeld near Berlin 1933-1944 . Rockstuhl, Bad Langensalza 2010, ISBN 978-3-86777-049-1 .