Heinkel He 74
| He 74 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Role | Light fighter and advanced trainer |
| Manufacturer | Heinkel |
| Designer | Günter brothers |
| First flight | 1933 |
| Number built | 3 |
The Heinkel He 74 was a light fighter aircraft developed in Germany in the early 1930s. It was a conventional, single-bay biplane with staggered, unequal-span wings braced with an I-type interplane strut. The pilot sat in an open cockpit, and the undercarriage was of the fixed, tailskid type.
It was designed in response to a RLM requirement for a Heimatschutzjäger - a light fighter aircraft suitable for purely defensive duties and which would have a secondary role as an advanced trainer for fighter pilots. Although it was not strictly a requirement of the specification, firms submitting designs were urged to use a monoplane layout.
During trials in 1934, the He 74 outperformed its competitors, but in the end, the RLM awarded it third place, behind the Focke-Wulf Fw 56 and Arado Ar 76, believing that since the fighters then being developed were all monoplanes, this configuration was essential for an advanced trainer as well.
Specifications
[edit]Data from Warplanes of the Third Reich[1]
General characteristics
- Crew: One pilot
- Length: 6.45 m (21 ft 2 in)
- Wingspan: 8.15 m (26 ft 8.75 in)
- Height: 2.20 m (7 ft 2.5 in)
- Wing area: 14.9 m2 (160.6 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 771 kg (1,697 lb)
- Gross weight: 1,019 kg (2,242 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Argus As 10C , 180 kW (240 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 280 km/h (174 mph, 151 kn)
- Cruise speed: 235 km/h (146 mph, 127 kn)
- Range: 370 km (230 mi, 200 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 4,800 m (15,750 ft)
- Rate of climb: 6.4 m/s (1,262 ft/min) [2]
Armament
- 1 × fixed, forward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine gun
References
[edit]- Green, William (1972). Warplanes of the Third Reich. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-05782-2.
- Nowarra, Heinz J. (1977). Die deutsche Luftrüstung 1933-1945. Bonn: Bernard & Graefe. pp. Teil 2, p.184.
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 502.
External links
[edit]
- Luftwaffe Resource Centre
- He.74 (Russian)