Heinkel
Encyclopedia
Heinkel Flugzeugwerke was a German aircraft manufacturing company founded by and named after Ernst Heinkel
. It is noted for producing bomber aircraft for the Luftwaffe
in World War II
and for important contributions to high-speed flight.
in 1922, after the restrictions on German aviation imposed by the Treaty of Versailles
were relaxed. The company's first great success was the design of the Heinkel He 70
Blitz high-speed mail plane and airliner for Deutsche Luft Hansa
in 1932, which broke a number of air speed records for its class. It was followed by the two-engine Heinkel He 111
Doppel-Blitz, which became a mainstay of the Luftwaffe during World War II as a bomber. Heinkel's most important designers at this point were the twin Günter brothers
, Siegfried and Walter, and Heinrich Hertel
. The firm's headquarters was in Rostock
, with an additional "Heinkel-Sud" facility in Schwechat
, Austria, after the Anschluss
in 1938.
The Heinkel company is most closely associated with aircraft used by the Luftwaffe during World War II. This began with the adaptation of the He 70 and, in particular, the He 111, to be used as bombers. Heinkel also provided the Luftwaffe's only operational heavy bomber
, the Heinkel He 177
, although this was never deployed in significant numbers. The German Luftwaffe
equipped both of these bombers with the Z-Gerät, Y-Gerät, and Knickebein, developed by Johannes Plendl
, and thus they were among the first aircraft to feature advanced night navigation devices, common in all commercial airplanes today.
Heinkel was less successful in selling fighter designs — before the war, the Heinkel He 112
had been rejected in favour of the Messerschmitt Bf 109
, and Heinkel's attempt to top Messerschmitt's design with the Heinkel He 100
failed due to political interference within the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM — Reich Aviation Ministry). The company also provided the Luftwaffe with an outstanding night fighter, the Heinkel He 219
, which also suffered from politics and was produced only in limited numbers.
From 1941 until the end of the war, the company was merged with engine manufacturer Hirth
to form Heinkel-Hirth, giving the company the capability of manufacturing its own powerplants.
The Heinkel name was also behind pioneering work in jet engine
and rocket
development. In 1939, flown by Erich Warsitz
, the Heinkel He 176 and Heinkel He 178
became the first aircraft to fly under liquid-fuel rocket and turbojet power respectively, and Heinkel was the first to develop a jet fighter to prototype stage, the Heinkel He 280
. This latter aircraft never reached production however, since the RLM wanted Heinkel to concentrate on bomber production and instead promoted the development of the rival Messerschmitt Me 262
. Very late in the war, a Heinkel jet fighter finally took to the air as the Heinkel He 162
, but it had barely entered service at the time of Germany's surrender.
Following the war, Heinkel was prohibited from manufacturing aircraft and instead built bicycle
s, motor scooters (see below), and the Heinkel microcar
. The company eventually returned to aircraft in the mid 1950s, licence building F-104 Starfighter
s for the West German Luftwaffe. In 1965, the company was absorbed by Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke
(VFW), which was in turn absorbed by Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm
in 1980.
HE - Heinkel Eindecker
He - Heinkel (RLM designator)
P - Projekt
Heinkel introduced the "Kabine" bubble car
in 1956. It competed with the BMW
Isetta
and the Messerschmitt KR200
. It had a unit body and a four-stroke single-cylinder engine.
Heinkel stopped manufacturing the Kabine in 1958 but production continued under licence, first by Dundalk Engineering Company in Ireland and then by Trojan Cars Ltd.
, which ceased production in 1966.
Heinkel introduced the "Tourist" motor scooter
in the 1950s which was known for its reliability. A large and relatively heavy touring machine, it provided good weather protection with a full fairing
and the front wheel turning under a fixed nose extension. The "Tourist" had effective streamlining, perhaps unsurprising in view of its aircraft ancestry, and although it had only a 174 cc, 9.5 bhp
4-stroke engine, it was capable of sustaining speeds of up to 70 miles per hour (31.3 m/s) (official figures 58 miles per hour (25.9 m/s)), given time to get there.
Heinkel also made a lighter 150 cc scooter called the Heinkel 150.
Heinkel built the Perle moped
from 1954 to 1957. The Perle was a sophisticated cycle with a cast alloy unit frame
, rear suspension
, a fully enclosed chain with part of the chain enclosure integral with the swingarm
, and interchangeable wheels. This high level of sophistication came at a high cost. Approximately twenty-seven thousand Perles were sold.
Ernst Heinkel
Dr. Ernst Heinkel was a German aircraft designer, manufacturer, Wehrwirtschaftführer in the Third Reich, and member of the Nazi party. His company Heinkel Flugzeugwerke produced the Heinkel He 178, the world's first turbojet aircraft and jet plane, and the Heinkel He 176, the first rocket aircraft...
. It is noted for producing bomber aircraft for the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and for important contributions to high-speed flight.
History
Heinkel was established at WarnemündeWarnemünde
Warnemünde is a sea resort and northmost district of Rostock in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, situated on the Baltic Sea in the northeast of Germany at the estuary of the river Warnow.- History :...
in 1922, after the restrictions on German aviation imposed by the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
were relaxed. The company's first great success was the design of the Heinkel He 70
Heinkel He 70
The Heinkel He 70 was a German mail plane and fast passenger aircraft of the 1930s, that also saw use in auxiliary bomber and reconnaissance roles. It had a relatively brief commercial career before it was replaced by types which could carry more passengers...
Blitz high-speed mail plane and airliner for Deutsche Luft Hansa
Deutsche Luft Hansa
Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G. was a German airline, serving as flag carrier of the country during the later years of the Weimar Republic and throughout the Third Reich.-1920s:Deutsche Luft Hansa was founded on 6 January 1926 in Berlin...
in 1932, which broke a number of air speed records for its class. It was followed by the two-engine Heinkel He 111
Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium...
Doppel-Blitz, which became a mainstay of the Luftwaffe during World War II as a bomber. Heinkel's most important designers at this point were the twin Günter brothers
Günter brothers
Dr. Siegfried Günter and Walter Günter were German twin brothers and pioneering aircraft designers. Walter was responsible for the world's first rocket-powered and turbojet airframes, projects funded by Nazi Germany...
, Siegfried and Walter, and Heinrich Hertel
Heinrich Hertel
Heinrich Hertel was a German aeronautical engineer.After graduating as an engineer from a Munich technical college, he joined the Junkers company in 1926...
. The firm's headquarters was in Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
, with an additional "Heinkel-Sud" facility in Schwechat
Schwechat
Schwechat is a city south-east of Vienna known for the Vienna International Airport and Schwechater beer. It is also home to the refineries belonging to the Austrian national oil company OMV.- Geography :...
, Austria, after the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
in 1938.
The Heinkel company is most closely associated with aircraft used by the Luftwaffe during World War II. This began with the adaptation of the He 70 and, in particular, the He 111, to be used as bombers. Heinkel also provided the Luftwaffe's only operational heavy bomber
Heavy bomber
A heavy bomber is a bomber aircraft of the largest size and load carrying capacity, and usually the longest range.In New START, the term "heavy bomber" is used for two types of bombers:*one with a range greater than 8,000 kilometers...
, the Heinkel He 177
Heinkel He 177
The Heinkel He 177 Greif was the only operational long-range bomber to be operated by the Luftwaffe. Starting its existence as Germany's first purpose-built heavy bomber just before the war, and built in large numbers during World War II, it was also mistakenly tasked, right from its beginnings,...
, although this was never deployed in significant numbers. The German Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
equipped both of these bombers with the Z-Gerät, Y-Gerät, and Knickebein, developed by Johannes Plendl
Johannes Plendl
Johannes "Hans" Plendl , German radar pioneer, was the scientist whose radio navigation techniques made possible the early German bombing successes in World War II.-Biography:...
, and thus they were among the first aircraft to feature advanced night navigation devices, common in all commercial airplanes today.
Heinkel was less successful in selling fighter designs — before the war, the Heinkel He 112
Heinkel He 112
The Heinkel He 112 was a fighter aircraft designed by Walter and Siegfried Günter. It was one of four aircraft designed to compete for the Luftwaffes 1933 fighter contract, which was eventually won by the Messerschmitt Bf 109...
had been rejected in favour of the Messerschmitt Bf 109
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
, and Heinkel's attempt to top Messerschmitt's design with the Heinkel He 100
Heinkel He 100
The Heinkel He 100 was a German pre-World War II fighter aircraft design from Heinkel. Although it proved to be one of the fastest fighter aircraft in the world at the time of its development, the design was not ordered into series production. Approximately 19 prototypes and pre-production machines...
failed due to political interference within the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM — Reich Aviation Ministry). The company also provided the Luftwaffe with an outstanding night fighter, the Heinkel He 219
Heinkel He 219
The Heinkel He 219 Uhu was a night fighter that served with the German Luftwaffe in the later stages of World War II. A relatively sophisticated design, the He 219 possessed a variety of innovations, including an advanced VHF-band intercept radar...
, which also suffered from politics and was produced only in limited numbers.
From 1941 until the end of the war, the company was merged with engine manufacturer Hirth
Hirth
Göbler-Hirthmotoren GmbH is an aircraft engine manufacturer based in Benningen, Germany.The company was founded by Hellmuth Hirth in 1920 as Hellmuth Hirth Versuchsbau, renamed Leichtmetall-Werke GmbH and finally Elektronmetall GmbH as a manufacturer of light alloy engine components, including...
to form Heinkel-Hirth, giving the company the capability of manufacturing its own powerplants.
Jet engine
A jet engine is a reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet to generate thrust by jet propulsion and in accordance with Newton's laws of motion. This broad definition of jet engines includes turbojets, turbofans, rockets, ramjets, pulse jets...
and rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
development. In 1939, flown by Erich Warsitz
Erich Warsitz
Erich Warsitz was a German test pilot of the 1930s. He held the rank of Flight-Captain in the Luftwaffe and was selected by the Reich Air Ministry as chief test pilot at Peenemünde West...
, the Heinkel He 176 and Heinkel He 178
Heinkel He 178
|-See also:*List of firsts in aviation-Bibliography:* Warsitz, Lutz: The First Jet Pilot - The Story of German Test Pilot Erich Warsitz, Pen and Sword Books Ltd., England, 2009, ISBN 9781844158188.-External links:...
became the first aircraft to fly under liquid-fuel rocket and turbojet power respectively, and Heinkel was the first to develop a jet fighter to prototype stage, the Heinkel He 280
Heinkel He 280
The Heinkel He 280 was the first turbojet-powered fighter aircraft in the world. It was inspired by Ernst Heinkel's emphasis on research into high-speed flight and built on the company's experience with the He 178 jet prototype. A combination of technical and political factors led to it being...
. This latter aircraft never reached production however, since the RLM wanted Heinkel to concentrate on bomber production and instead promoted the development of the rival Messerschmitt Me 262
Messerschmitt Me 262
The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Design work started before World War II began, but engine problems prevented the aircraft from attaining operational status with the Luftwaffe until mid-1944...
. Very late in the war, a Heinkel jet fighter finally took to the air as the Heinkel He 162
Heinkel He 162
The Heinkel He 162 Volksjäger was a German single-engine, jet-powered fighter aircraft fielded by the Luftwaffe in World War II. Designed and built quickly, and made primarily of wood as metals were in very short supply and prioritised for other aircraft, the He 162 was nevertheless the fastest of...
, but it had barely entered service at the time of Germany's surrender.
Following the war, Heinkel was prohibited from manufacturing aircraft and instead built bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
s, motor scooters (see below), and the Heinkel microcar
Heinkel Kabine
The Heinkel Kabine was a microcar designed by Heinkel Flugzeugwerke and built by them from 1956 to 1958. Production was transferred under licence to Dundalk Engineering Company in Ireland in 1958 but the licence was withdrawn shortly afterward due to poor quality control Production restarted in...
. The company eventually returned to aircraft in the mid 1950s, licence building F-104 Starfighter
F-104 Starfighter
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is a single-engine, high-performance, supersonic interceptor aircraft originally developed for the United States Air Force by Lockheed. One of the Century Series of aircraft, it served with the USAF from 1958 until 1969, and continued with Air National Guard units...
s for the West German Luftwaffe. In 1965, the company was absorbed by Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke
Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke
Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke was a German aerospace company formed by the 1964 merger of Focke-Wulf and Weser Flugzeugbau GmbH...
(VFW), which was in turn absorbed by Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm
Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm
Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm was a German aerospace company formed as the result of several mergers in the late 1960s. Among its best-known products was the MBB Bo 105 light twin helicopter...
in 1980.
Aircraft
HD - Heinkel Doppeldecker- Heinkel HD 14
- Heinkel HD 16
- Heinkel HD 17
- Heinkel HD 19
- Heinkel HD 21
- Heinkel HD 22Heinkel HD 22|-See also:-External links:* Joe Baugher,...
- Heinkel HD 23
- Heinkel HD 24 seaplane trainer (1926)
- Heinkel HD 25
- Heinkel HD 26Heinkel HD 26|-References:*Mikesh, Robert and Shorzoe Abe. Japanese Aircraft 1910–1941. London: Putnam, 1990. ISBN 0-85177-840-2...
- Heinkel HD 28
- Heinkel HD 29
- Heinkel HD 32
- Heinkel HD 33
- Heinkel HD 35Heinkel HD 35-External links:*...
- Heinkel HD 36
- Heinkel HD 37 fighter (biplane)
- Heinkel HD 38Heinkel HD 38|-Notes and references:...
fighter (biplane) - Heinkel HD 39Heinkel HD 39|-References:...
- Heinkel HD 40Heinkel HD 40|-References:...
- Heinkel HD 42 seaplane trainer
- Heinkel HD 43Heinkel HD 43-Notes and references:* Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. The Complete Book of Fighters. New York: Smithmark, 1994. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8.* www.luftfahrtmuseum.com The Virtual Aviation Museum...
fighter (biplane)
HE - Heinkel Eindecker
- Heinkel HE 1Heinkel HE 1The Heinkel He 1 was a two seat, low-wing monoplane floatplane, designed in 1921 by German designer Ernst Heinkel at Caspar-Werke. The aircraft was initially produced under licence in Sweden for the Navy of 1921...
low-wing floatplane (monoplane) - Heinkel HE 2 improvement on the HE 1
- Heinkel HE 3
- Heinkel HE 4 reconnaissance (monoplane)
- Heinkel HE 5Heinkel HE 5|-References:...
reconnaissance (monoplane) - Heinkel HE 8 reconnaissance (monoplane)
- Heinkel HE 9
- Heinkel HE 12Heinkel HE 12-External links:* Air Classics, Mar 2002 by Cook, John C* photo of Heinkel 12 on Bremen catapult* Popular Mechanics, September 1930...
- Heinkel HE 18
- Heinkel HE 37
- Heinkel HE 38
He - Heinkel (RLM designator)
- Heinkel He 45Heinkel He 45|-See also:...
bomber + trainer - Heinkel He 46Heinkel He 46-See also:-Bibliography:* Kay, A.L. and Smith, J.R. German Aircraft of World War II. Naval Institute Press, 2002....
reconnaissance - Heinkel He 49Heinkel He 49- Bibliography :* William Green and Gordon Swanborough. The Complete Book of Fighters. Colour Library Direct, Godalming, UK: 1994. ISBN 1-85833-777-1....
fighter (biplane) - Heinkel He 50Heinkel He 50|-See also:-Bibliography:* Donald, D., ed. Warplanes of the Luftwaffe: Combat Aircraft of Hitler’s Luftwaffe, 1933–1945. London: Aerospace Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1-8805888-10-2....
reconnaissance + dive bomber (biplane) - Heinkel He 51Heinkel He 51-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Donald, David, ed. Warplanes of the Luftwaffe. London: Aerospace, 1994. ISBN 1-874023-56-5.* Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. "The Cadre Creator...Heinkel's Last Fighting Biplane". Air Enthusiast No. 36, May-August 1988. pp. 11–24. ISSN 0143-5450.*...
fighter + close-support (biplane) - Heinkel He 57 Heron
- Heinkel He 58
- Heinkel He 59Heinkel He 59|-See also:-Bibliography:* Green, William.War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Six: Floatplanes. London: Macdonald, 1962.* Green, William. Warplanes of the Third Reich. New York: Doubleday, 1972. ISBN 0-385-05782-2....
reconnaissance (biplane seaplane) - Heinkel He 60 ship-borne reconnaissance (biplane seaplane)
- Heinkel He 70Heinkel He 70The Heinkel He 70 was a German mail plane and fast passenger aircraft of the 1930s, that also saw use in auxiliary bomber and reconnaissance roles. It had a relatively brief commercial career before it was replaced by types which could carry more passengers...
"Blitz" (Lightning), single-engine transport + mailplane, 1932 - Heinkel He 72Heinkel He 72|-See also:-References:* Wood, Tony and Bill Gunston. Hitler's Luftwaffe: A Pictorial History and Technical Encyclopedia of Hitler's Air Power in World War II. London:Salamander books,1977. ISBN 0-86101-005-1....
Kadett (Cadet), trainer - Heinkel He 74Heinkel He 74-External links:***...
fighter + advanced trainer (prototype) - Heinkel He 100Heinkel He 100The Heinkel He 100 was a German pre-World War II fighter aircraft design from Heinkel. Although it proved to be one of the fastest fighter aircraft in the world at the time of its development, the design was not ordered into series production. Approximately 19 prototypes and pre-production machines...
fighter - Heinkel He 111Heinkel He 111The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium...
bomber - Heinkel He 112Heinkel He 112The Heinkel He 112 was a fighter aircraft designed by Walter and Siegfried Günter. It was one of four aircraft designed to compete for the Luftwaffes 1933 fighter contract, which was eventually won by the Messerschmitt Bf 109...
fighter - Heinkel He 113Heinkel He 113The Heinkel He 113 was a supposed Luftwaffe fighter aircraft of World War II, but which existed only as a propaganda and/or disinformation strategy....
(fictitious alternative designation for He 100) - Heinkel He 114Heinkel He 114-See also:-Bibliography:* Donald, David, ed. Warplanes of the Luftwaffe. London: Aerospace, 1994. ISBN 1-874023-56-5.* Smith J. R. and Kay, Anthony. German Aircraft of the Second World War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1972. ISBN 0-370-00024-2....
reconnaissance seaplane - Heinkel He 115Heinkel He 115The Heinkel He 115 was a World War II Luftwaffe seaplane with three seats. It was used as a torpedo bomber and performed general seaplane duties, such as reconnaissance and minelaying. The plane was powered by two 720 kW BMW 132K nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engines...
general-purpose seaplane - Heinkel He 116Heinkel He 116-See also:-Bibliography:* Smith J. R. and Kay, Anthony. German Aircraft of the Second World War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1972. ISBN 0-370-00024-2....
transport + reconnaissance - Heinkel He 117
- Heinkel He 118Heinkel He 118-See also:-References:* Green, William. Warplanes of the Third Reich. New York: Doubleday, 1972. ISBN 0-385-05782-2....
- Heinkel He 119Heinkel He 119|-See also:-References:*Donald, David, "An Industry of Prototypes - Heinkel He 119", Wings of Fame, Volume 12. Aerospace Publishing Ltd., London, UK/AIRtime Publishing Inc., Westport, Connecticut, 1998, ISBN 1-86184-021-7 / 1-880588-23-4, pp. 30–34....
single-engine high-speed bomber(prototypes), reconnaissance aircraft, 1937 - Heinkel He 120 four-engine long-range passenger flying-boat(project), 1938
- Heinkel He 162Heinkel He 162The Heinkel He 162 Volksjäger was a German single-engine, jet-powered fighter aircraft fielded by the Luftwaffe in World War II. Designed and built quickly, and made primarily of wood as metals were in very short supply and prioritised for other aircraft, the He 162 was nevertheless the fastest of...
Spatz (sparrow), Volksjäger (People's Fighter) design competition choice, fighter (jet-engined) - Heinkel He 170
- Heinkel He 172 trainer (prototype)
- Heinkel He 176 pioneering liquid-fueled rocket-powered experimental aircraft (prototype)
- Heinkel He 177Heinkel He 177The Heinkel He 177 Greif was the only operational long-range bomber to be operated by the Luftwaffe. Starting its existence as Germany's first purpose-built heavy bomber just before the war, and built in large numbers during World War II, it was also mistakenly tasked, right from its beginnings,...
Greif (Griffon), the Third Reich's only long-range heavy bomberHeavy bomberA heavy bomber is a bomber aircraft of the largest size and load carrying capacity, and usually the longest range.In New START, the term "heavy bomber" is used for two types of bombers:*one with a range greater than 8,000 kilometers... - Heinkel He 178Heinkel He 178|-See also:*List of firsts in aviation-Bibliography:* Warsitz, Lutz: The First Jet Pilot - The Story of German Test Pilot Erich Warsitz, Pen and Sword Books Ltd., England, 2009, ISBN 9781844158188.-External links:...
world's pioneering jet-engined experimental aircraft - Heinkel He 219Heinkel He 219The Heinkel He 219 Uhu was a night fighter that served with the German Luftwaffe in the later stages of World War II. A relatively sophisticated design, the He 219 possessed a variety of innovations, including an advanced VHF-band intercept radar...
Uhu (Owl), night-fighter - Heinkel He 270
- Heinkel He 274Heinkel He 274The Heinkel He 274 was a German Luftwaffe heavy bomber developed during World War II, purpose-designed for high-altitude bombing with pressurized crew accommodation.- He 177 ancestry :...
high-altitude bomber, He 177 development, two prototypes completed post-war in France - Heinkel He 277Heinkel He 277The Heinkel He 277 was a four-engine, long range heavy bomber design, a derivative of the He 177, intended for production and use by the German Luftwaffe during World War II. The main difference was in engine configuration...
heavy bomber, paper-only Amerika BomberAmerika BomberThe Amerika-Bomber project was an initiative of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium, the Nazi Germany Air Ministry, to obtain a long-range strategic bomber for the Luftwaffe that would be capable of striking the continental United States from Germany, a range of about 5,800 km...
He 177 development with four individual radial engines, never built - Heinkel He 280Heinkel He 280The Heinkel He 280 was the first turbojet-powered fighter aircraft in the world. It was inspired by Ernst Heinkel's emphasis on research into high-speed flight and built on the company's experience with the He 178 jet prototype. A combination of technical and political factors led to it being...
fighter (jet-engined) - Heinkel He 343Heinkel He 343The Heinkel He 343 was a four-engine jet bomber project.-Design and development:It was designed by the German Ernst Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in the beginning of 1944. 20 of these aircraft were ordered. For shortening the development time and for re-use of existing parts, its general design was...
four-engined bomber (jet-engined) (project), 1944 - Heinkel He 519Heinkel He 519The Heinkel He 519 was a high speed German single-seater bomber designed in 1944 by Heinkel. Based on the Heinkel He 119, a private venture by Heinkel to test radical ideas by the Günter brothers, the He 519 was designed to use the 24-cylinder Daimler-Benz DB 613, but the aircraft remained a...
, high-speed bomber (He 119 derivative)(project only), 1944 - Heinkel Type 98 Medium Bomber
- Heinkel Navy Type He Interceptor Fighter
- Heinkel A7HeHeinkel A7HeThe A7He Type He Air Defense Fighter was the Japanese designation for a variant of the German Heinkel He 112.In the late 1930s, with its military at war in China, Japan saw a need for aircraft with higher performance than then available. A number of foreign aircraft were imported and tested to...
P - Projekt
- Heinkel He P.1076, A nearly conventional 1944 design, with slightly forward swept wings and double propellers at the front.
- Heinkel P.1077Heinkel P.1077Heinkel P.1077 was a rocket-powered, single seat interceptor developed for the Luftwaffe by Heinkel aircraft manufacturing company under the Emergency Fighter Program during the last years of the Third Reich...
Julia - Heinkel P.1078
- Heinkel He P.1078A, fighter(jet-engined) (project)
- Heinkel He P.1078B, tailless fighter(jet-engined) (project)
- Heinkel He P.1078C, tailless fighter(jet-engined) (project), 1944
- Heinkel He P.1079A, two-engine night-fighter(jet-engined) (project)
- Heinkel He P.1079B/I, all-weather heavy fighter(flying wing design) (jet-engined)
- Heinkel He P.1079B/II, all-weather heavy fighter(flying wing design) (jet-engined), 1945
- Heinkel LercheHeinkel Lerche-See also:-Notes & References:* Luftwaffe Secret Projects - Ground Attack & Special Purpose Aircraft, D. Herwig & H. Rode, ISBN 1-85780-150-4*...
- Heinkel Wespe
Microcar
Bubble car
Bubble car is a subjective term used for some small, economical automobiles, usually produced in the 1950s and 1960s.- Varieties :The Messerschmitt KR175 and KR200, and the FMR Tg500, had aircraft-style bubble canopies, giving rise to the term bubble car to refer to all these post-war microcars...
in 1956. It competed with the BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
Isetta
Isetta
The Isetta is an Italian-designed microcar built in a number of different countries, including Spain, Belgium, France, Brazil, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Produced in the post-World War II years, a time when cheap short-distance transportation was most needed, it became one of the most...
and the Messerschmitt KR200
Messerschmitt KR200
The Messerschmitt KR200, or Kabinenroller , was a three-wheeled bubble car designed by the aircraft engineer Fritz Fend and produced in the factory of the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt from 1955 to 1964.-History:...
. It had a unit body and a four-stroke single-cylinder engine.
Heinkel stopped manufacturing the Kabine in 1958 but production continued under licence, first by Dundalk Engineering Company in Ireland and then by Trojan Cars Ltd.
Trojan (automobile)
Trojan was a British automobile manufacturer. Cars with the Trojan marque were made from 1914 and 1974.-Early history:The company was founded by Leslie Hayward Hounsfield who went into business as a general engineer in a small workshop called the Polygon Engineering Works in Clapham, South London...
, which ceased production in 1966.
Scooters
Scooter (motorcycle)
A scooter is a motorcycle with step-through frame and a platform for the operator's feet. Elements of scooter design have been present in some of the earliest motorcycles, and motorcycles identifiable as scooters have been made from 1914 or earlier...
in the 1950s which was known for its reliability. A large and relatively heavy touring machine, it provided good weather protection with a full fairing
Motorcycle fairing
A motorcycle fairing is a shell placed over the frame of some motorcycles, especially racing motorcycles and sport bikes, with the primary purpose to reduce air drag. The secondary functions are the protection of the rider from airborne hazards and wind-induced hypothermia and of the engine...
and the front wheel turning under a fixed nose extension. The "Tourist" had effective streamlining, perhaps unsurprising in view of its aircraft ancestry, and although it had only a 174 cc, 9.5 bhp
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
4-stroke engine, it was capable of sustaining speeds of up to 70 miles per hour (31.3 m/s) (official figures 58 miles per hour (25.9 m/s)), given time to get there.
Heinkel also made a lighter 150 cc scooter called the Heinkel 150.
Mopeds
Moped
Mopeds are a type of low-powered motorcycle designed to provide economical and relatively safe transport with minimal licensing requirements.Mopeds were once all equipped with bicycle-like pedals , but moped has been increasingly applied by governments to vehicles without pedals, based on their...
from 1954 to 1957. The Perle was a sophisticated cycle with a cast alloy unit frame
Monocoque
Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...
, rear suspension
Suspension (motorcycle)
A motorcycle's suspension serves a dual purpose: contributing to the vehicle's handling and braking, and providing safety and comfort by keeping the vehicle's passengers comfortably isolated from road noise, bumps and vibrations....
, a fully enclosed chain with part of the chain enclosure integral with the swingarm
Swingarm
A swingarm, or "swinging arm" is the main component of the rear suspension of most modern motorcycles and ATVs...
, and interchangeable wheels. This high level of sophistication came at a high cost. Approximately twenty-seven thousand Perles were sold.