History of Heinkel He 119

During the 1930s, the Luftwaffe was being reorganized, and the Luftwaffe was in service with all types of aircraft before the outbreak of World War II in 1939. This has allowed many companies to continue their trade and try to provide viable training and weapons-focused platforms for the emerging service that has grown into one of the most powerful weapons for the German military in a decade.

Ernst Heinkel A.G.'s He 119 was one of the most promising and undoubtedly impressive designs of the prewar period: its streamlined fuselage combined with a tandem engine arrangement promises a significant increase in speed in the process. The aircraft was briefly considered for high-speed reconnaissance and bombing operations by the Luftwaffe, but the program matured to only eight prototypes for use as a testbed.

Design work of this type began in 1936, when engineers selected the thinnest profiles with no noticeable physical protrusions along the hull. This allows the fuselage to benefit from a streamlined shape, and even the cockpit incorporates the clean lines of the plane, its position replaced by heavy glass near the nose and behind the propellers. To accommodate the twin-engine layout, the engine is attached behind the cockpit and drives the bow propeller via a propeller shaft.

The propeller is a four-bladed design. The drive shaft runs between the two crew members. The engine of choice is the Daimler-Benz DB601, which when coupled forms the DB606A-2, a 24-cylinder, liquid-cooled, inverted V12 monster rated at 2,350 horsepower.

The main-wing aircraft were elliptical and similar in design to that of the wartime He 111 medium bomber. Like the He 111, this aircraft also relied on a curved rudder with a low horizontal plane. The landing gear is a retractable tricycle arrangement.

The first flight of the V1 prototype was recorded in mid-1937, followed by an experimental radiator adjustment for the V2. The V3 has the same design, albeit redesigned as a seaplane, still able to maintain the aircraft's impressive performance.

Reserved for speed trials, the V4 set a record of 314 mph in 1937 while traveling 621 miles with a 2,205-pound load. The V5 through V8 prototypes added in 1938 were intended as production prototypes for combat reconnaissance and bombers (two of each form).

These designs were all equipped with a crew of three and an MG15 machine gun mounted in the dorsal position (for self-defense only). The proposed bomber is designed to carry conventional airdrops of up to 2,205 pounds.

While the He 119 never became a fighter, the V7 and V8 were extensively tested in the hands of Japanese engineers when the two aircraft were sold to German allies. Interestingly, German propaganda refers to the He 111 as "He 111U".

The "He 519" was a related 1944 proposal intended for use as a high-speed bomber. It was developed by the company as a private enterprise and was designed to be based on the DB613 engine (a larger version of the DB601). The end of the war in 1945 ended the He 519 for good.

The V6 recorded some of its numbers and was able to hit 367 mph. It weighs 11,465 pounds empty and 16,678 pounds fully loaded, and has a range of 1,940 miles at nearly 15,000 feet.

Heinkel He 119 Specification

Basic

Year:
1937
Staff:
3

Production

[8 units] :
Ernst Heinkel A.G. - Nazi Germany

Roles

- Ground Attack

- Reconnaissance (RECCE)

- X-Plane / Development

Dimensions

Length:

48.56 ft (14.8 m)

Width:

52.17 ft (15.9 m)

Height:

17.72 ft (5.4 m)

Weight

Curb Weight:

5,200 kg

MTOW:

7,580 kg

(difference: +5,247 pt)

Performance

1 x Daimler-Benz DB660A-2 24-cylinder liquid-cooled coupled inline engine, 2,350 hp.

Performance

Maximum Speed:

367 mph (590 km/h; 319 knots)

Service Limit:

27,887 ft (8,500 m; 5.28 mi)

Maximum range:

1,942 miles (3,125 km; 1,687 nautical miles)

Rate of climb:

1,840 ft/min (561 m/min)

Armor

Proposed standard, fixed weapons:

1 x 7.9mm MG15 machine gun in supine position.

Suggested bomb load:

Traditional outlet stores up to 2,205 lbs.

Changes

He 119 - name of the basic series; eight prototypes from V1 to V8 completed.

V1 - first prototype

V2 - Second prototype with experimental cooler installation.

V3 - Seaplane variant

V4-Velocity Platform

V5 - Scout prototype; trio; 1 x MG15 machine gun weapon

V6 - Scout prototype; trio; 1 x MG15 machine gun weapon

V7 - Bomber prototype; trio; 1 x MG15 machine gun armament; 2,205 lb bomb load.

V8 - Bomber prototype; trio; 1 x MG15 machine gun armament 2,205 lb bomb load.

He 519 - A high-speed bomber proposed in 1944; for the Daimler-Benz DB613 engine.

He 111U - German promotional code

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