Heinkel He 176

1939 SECRET WEAPONS OF THE LUFTWAFFE WORLD WAR 2 X-PLANE

• 1 History of Heinkel He 176
• 2 Heinkel He 176 Specification
  • 2.1 Basic
  • 2.2 Production
  • 2.3 Roles
  • 2.4 Dimensions
  • 2.5 Weight
  • 2.6 Performance
  • 2.7 Performance
  • 2.8 Armor
  • 2.9 Changes

History of Heinkel He 176

In the late 1930s, the German Heinkel Group began work on the world's first all-liquid-fueled rocket-powered aircraft. The idea of ??rocket propulsion is not new at this point in aviation history, with several development aircraft mostly gliders taking to the skies over the past decade.

In terms of their use in aircraft, all-liquid rocket motors were an increasingly better alternative to solid-fuel products at the time. Heinkel began experimenting with this propulsion system in 1936, and by 1939 the technology was advanced enough that rocket-powered aircraft became a very viable subject.

Above all, Ernst Heinkel had the idea of ??surpassing the world airspeed record at the time, which would bring national pride to Germany and a reputation for Heinkel himself. To accomplish this feat, Heinkel envisioned an all-liquid-fueled, rocket-powered aircraft with a streamlined airframe that could reach speeds of 620 mph.

Under the direction of Wilhelm Benz and Hans Regner, started a private project design work called "He 176". Initially, the aircraft will be powered by an upgraded Walter HWK-R1 rocket engine with 1,373 pounds of thrust. The fuselage will house the necessary fuel depots, avionics and a single-seat cockpit. Key to its design is the smallest possible airframe to eliminate all unnecessary protrusions that affect aerodynamics and reduce overall weight. The fuselage adopts an aerodynamic approach, with a glass acrylic nose cone, cylindrical center section and tapered tail.

The tail includes a conventional vertical tail and a corresponding horizontal tail. As the speed of the current feat is expected to be rather unbearable, the pilot will be given a banked position to counteract the effects of G-forces. Wings are short, straight components mounted centrally on the sides of the fuselage, in place on the shoulders, somewhat reminiscent of those on the Heinkel He 111 medium bomber. The fuselage turned out to be large enough to accommodate the intended components - just 2.7 feet in diameter, while the landing gear had a "tail drag" configuration typical of the time, accommodating a pair of main gear legs and a tail skid, a narrow gauge design . For this reason, skids were installed on the wingtips to counteract possible tipping.

The main landing gear legs themselves are fully retractable to maintain aerodynamics.

One of the more interesting design features of the He 176 is the pilot's escape function. Since the airspeed to be achieved is truly monumental and uncharted territory, in the event of a catastrophic flight event, the cockpit section of the He 176 was given a fully jettisonable section, causing the rest of the fuselage to escape the pilot Collapsed and destroyed (hopefully) uninjured.

The first He 176 prototype made its maiden flight on June 20, 1939. However, the performance of the aircraft left Reich Aviation Ministry (RLM) officials present overwhelmed by the attempt.

This particular method of rocket propulsion is not highly regarded due to its rather noisy design and the inherent danger of flammable propellants. The He 176 failed to even exceed 435 mph on its first test flight. Despite a second prototype on the drawing board, the He 176 project did not go beyond the "high point" of this development. In the end, the airframe turned out to be too heavy for the intended rocket motorthrust performance was barely stable, especially during takeoff, and generally poor in level flight.

In addition, the wing area was deemed too small to achieve the required lift and control at expected speeds, further weakening the performance figures. Since then, He 176 has been denounced as a museum collection and sent to Berlin by Heinkel for a public exhibition in 1942.

However, Allied bombing ensured that the German capital was not out of range and responded accordingly, and was destroyed in an air raid in 1943.

With the failure of the He 176 rocket propulsion project, Heinkel turned to other businesses. With Germany fully engaged in war at this point - having swept across Europe politically and militarily to begin World War II - thinking remains centered on the use of high-performance interceptors, especially around the constant response to devastating Allied forces The growing threat of bombing campaign to Germany's infrastructure and warfare capabilities.

So RLM embarked on another similar aircraft program, culminating in the production of the famous Messerschmitt Me 163 "Komet" rocket-powered fighter - the world's first (and only) operational rocket-powered fighter. The aircraft used an evolved form of the Walter's rocket engine and returning wings, and some 370 examples were eventually built, which ended up in combat with Allied aircraft in European air battles.

Advances in jet technology, however, made the era of rocket-powered fighter jets short-lived.

Heinkel He 176 Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes