The He 51 is a product of the German company Heinkel, designed by Gunter twins Walter and Siegfried. Gunters became part of the Heinkel company in 1931, with which they manufactured their first product, the He 49. The He 49 is a fighter engine, twin machine gun, biplane that has been developed into three main prototypes.
It was these prototype designs that eventually developed into the He 51a prototypes and eventually the He 51 production model.
The He 51a differed from the previous He 49 form in that it was fitted with a new tail, wing, landing gear and radiator. The He 51 itself became a successful German fighter jet during World War II, as well as a viable seaplane derivative and light ground attack platform.
Despite the restrictions imposed on the development of the German war machine after the end of World War I, the He 51 was still pursued under the guise of a premium trainer. In many ways, the He 51 was part of the "new" German army, soon to be released in an unsuspecting world.
The He 51 received a non-uniform span biplane wing (also called a "half-wing"), with the upper span longer (and forward facing) than the lower span. Each wing has a separate compartment with parallel struts sloping forward (in profile) and outward with appropriate support cables. The engine is located at the very front of the contoured fuselage and consists of a liquid-cooled inline engine driving a two-bladed propeller. The pilot sits directly in the open-air cockpit protected by the front windshield, just behind and below the upper wing. The tail is conventional, with a round vertical tail and mid-mounted elevators.
The landing gear is fixed, with two streamlined main landing gear and a streamlined tail wheel. The seaplane version of the He 51 is very similar in design, with the most notable exception being the large float pontoon mounted in the landing gear position. The armament consists of 2 MG 17 machine guns, mounted above the engine, fired synchronously through the rotating propeller blades, with 500 rounds reserved for one machine gun.
Up to six 22lb bombs can be carried for the light strike rollers inherent to the C model.
The Heinkel He 51 produced several variants, but only appeared in the three main production models. These four prototypes represent the aircraft, starting from the short-fuselage He 49a, the extended-fuselage He 49b, the He 49c with improved glycol-cooled engines and the tail with improved vertical stabilizer and new wings.
The He 51a on the drop gear begins. new radiator. The He 51a prototype led to the first nine pre-production aircraft, designated the He 51A-0. This was followed by the first productivity example in the 150 He 51A-1.
He 51B-0 appeared as another dozen or so pre-production examples with strengthened structures. The production version became the He 51B-1, of which only 12 were produced. The He 51B-2 was a seaplane variant with 46 produced. The He 51B-3 is a special high-altitude version.
The He 51B-1 is powered by a BMW VI Series 7.3Z V12 liquid-cooled engine rated at 750 hp. This enables a top speed of 205 mph and a cruising speed of 174 mph. Range is limited to 354 miles and service is capped at 25,256 feet.
The He 51C-1 was the first dedicated light ground attack model. At least 79 of these were shipped to Spain to fight Legion Kondor ("Legion Condor" in German) on behalf of Nationalist troops in the Spanish Civil War. The He 51C-2 is nothing more than an improved version of the He 51C-1. These come with improved radios.
Twenty-one examples of this type were produced.
A total of about 700 examples representing the He 51 series in a slightly modified form. Operators include the Luftwaffe, the Spanish state and Bulgaria. Bulgaria received 12 He 51s from Germany.
The He 51 was first used in Fury in the Spanish Civil War. In many ways, Germany used the battlefield to field test a variety of programs, including aircraft, vehicles, and tactics. Six He 51 systems were delivered to the front on 6 August 1936 and soon proved to be better systems than contemporary biplanes.
Spanish and German pilots flew the plane during the conflict, with the Germans under the banner of the Condor Legion.
As the war progressed and aircraft technology improved, the He 51 was also quickly withdrawn from air combat. Instead, the system was a huge success as a ground attack platform, although more modern monoplanes took their toll. Many Spanish He 51s survived the conflict and the ensuing world war, serving until the late 1940s. Its limited success in the Spanish Civil War demonstrated the limitations of fighter jets that relied on biplane wing arrangements compared to monoplanes. The He 51 is agile enough due to its slower speed and available wing area, but again speed is at the forefront of air combat.
Newer systems can simply outperform aircraft like the He 51. Of course, this forced the He 51 to be more beneficial to us than a more modern aircraft, even though this aircraft was a trainer for the Luftwaffe early in the war. However, as a front-line hunter, the model was retired in 1938.
- Fighter
- Ground Attack
- Naval/Navigation
- Reconnaissance (RECCE)
27.56 ft (8.4 m)
36.09 ft (11 m)
10.50 ft (3.2 m)
1,460 kg
4,178 kg
205 mph (330 km/h; 178 knots)
25,262 ft (7,700 m; 4.78 mi)
354 miles (570 km; 308 nmi)
350 ft/min (107 m/min)
Default:
2 x 7.92mm MG 17 machine guns in the nose
Up to 6 x 22lb bombs
He 49a - The first prototype model with a shortened fuselage.
He 49b - Second prototype model; modified lengthened fuselage; rated as seaplane and land-based aircraft.
He 49c - third prototype model; modified engine mounts.
He 51a - fourth prototype; new radiator system; revised vertical tail and main wing; revised chassis.
He 51A-0 - Nine pre-production examples; based on He 51a.
He 51A-1 - Initial full production model; 150 copies made.
He 51B-0 - Second pre-production batch; reinforced substructure; 12 copies made.
He 51B-1 - Second production run; based on the He 51B-0 model; 12 copies made.
He 51B-2 - Seaplane derivative; dedicated reconnaissance platform; 46 copies made.
He 51B-3 - High Platform
He 51C-1 - Ground attack variant
He 51C-2 - Improved He 51C-1; new radio; 21 copies made.