Heinkel / Aichi HD 23

History

Ernst Heinkel Flugzeugwerke (Heinkel) of Germany started aviation in December 1922. At the request of the Imperial Japanese government, their first single-seat single-engine fighter became the "HD 23", a conventional biplane for naval operations (catapult launch, crane recovery). After the first flight in 1925-1926 and the delivery of two prototypes from Germany in 1927, the Japanese prefecture of Aichi made some local modifications to the aircraft and built two other prototypes.

In addition to these offers, the GD 23 - known to the Japanese as the "H-type carrier fighter" - was not accepted for service after extensive evaluation by Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) authorities.

When built, the HD 23 had the pilot seated in an open-air cockpit high above the nose. The wing main aircraft has the same span and consists of an upper and lower wing section, connected by support struts (type N) and a wiring network. The lower hull contains a boat-like hull with flotation bags for emergency landings on water. The landing gear rolls on the two main leg members and is fixed during flight.

Dimensions include a length of 24.8 feet, a wingspan of 35.4 feet and a height of 12.4 feet. Curb weight is 3,240 lbs and MTOW is 4,560 lbs.

The original German prototype (HD 23a) was powered by a 600 hp liquid-cooled BMW VIa 12-cylinder engine, the second was equipped with a 450 hp Hispano-Suiza 12Ha engine. The operating aircraft will carry 2 x 7.92mm machine guns synchronised to fire through rotating propeller blades.

Once the Aichi engineers showed up in Japan, workers installed jet-operated undercarriage for water operations (landing and takeoff) and wing-based slats for better control. Tests showed the plane was of poor quality for a Navy fighter it was underpowered, heavy, and lacked control.

In testing, the HD 23a hit a speed of 160 mph and a service cap of 26,000 feet.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes