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Heinkel He 177 Greif (Griffin)

1942 WORLD WAR 2

History

Heinkel's focus on World War II made Germany one of the largest and most productive aircraft manufacturers at the time. Its main appeal was its medium bomber, the He 111, which was used on all fronts where German troops fought during World War I. Over time, the company has had many other designs that have proven to work some groundbreaking while others have been forgotten. The He 177 "Griffin" (or "Griffin") became one of the company's failed products, doomed to various problems - the complex engine layout led to many technical problems, and structural defects long plagued the production line during his short career career.

If the list of issues is sorted out at some point, the He 177 could become the Luftwaffe looking for an excellent heavy bomber of this type - the service was forced to continue using the medium bomber type during the war.

The origins of the He 177 lie in the 1936 RLM requirements for a new, state-of-the-art bomber with a minimum speed of 310 mph, a range of 3,100 miles, and a 2,200-pound bomb load. Resulting in "Bomber A".

Its primary defense was initially thought to be pure speed, due to its ability to outrun any trailing interceptor. The Heinkel Company was given the go-ahead to build its "Project 1041 Bomber A", and a full-scale model (acquiring the RLM designation "8-177") was launched in 1937.

Since dive bombs provided greater accuracy in military aviation during this period (and German sight technology was limited on the way to war), new bomber requirements were written that the type should have inherent dive capability - This means that its structure has to be designed and arranged to the corresponding tolerances due to the forces acting during diving.

While the 8-177 looks very traditional with its twin-engine configuration, it uses a unique "quad-engine" arrangement in which wing-mounted nacelles are paired with the engines to combine the power of both engines in a more streamlined form . This was necessary to maintain the aircraft's aerodynamics during the proposed dive attack, but would really only complicate the design during its lengthy development phase. No single engine at the time could provide the required power in a twin-engine arrangement, so this unique four-engine arrangement was used.

Heinkel engineers chose the Diamler-Benz DB606 engine, which connects two DB601 12-cylinder in-line engines side by side, driving a single propeller unit through a common gearbox. Each engine produces 2,600 horsepower and drives a large diameter propeller blade assembly.

To increase speed in other areas, Heinkel used in the airframe a variety of techniques he had learned from pre-war speedsters.

A mid-wing single-wing form was used, containing a complex engine arrangement. The main aircraft is located at the front of the fuselage, which is rectangular with rounded corners. The nose is well contoured, the glass is thick and contains key crew positions such as pilot and bombardier. The hull then tapers at the stern to create a tunnel to the end of the stern. The tail uses a single truncated vertical tail and a low-set horizontal plane. "Trailing" landing gear was used, although reinforced for the weight of the aircraft, each main leg was fitted with a twin wheel assembly.

An internal bomb bay will bring most of the traditional drop shops into battle.

While the latest fighters were apparently capable of capturing modern propeller-driven bombers, bombers gained a suitable network of defensive artillery. At least one location will be remotely controlled to reduce weight and keep the design streamlined (it was originally intended that the aircraft would carry three RC turrets). The position of the stern gun at the very end of the hull will be occupied. Eventually there are weapons in the dorsal position, nose in place, a "chin" support, and a ventral rearward position, in a pod-like fairing.

No "beam" or waist position is used.

The completed prototype He 177 V1 made its first test flight on November 9, 1939 (World War II officially began on September 1 of that year). This attempt quickly revealed engine problems, as the engine began to overheat within minutes, and also revealed some control issues.

In fact, the He 177 V2 was lost in mid-air when it disintegrated during a test flight. Engineers redesigned the stern, increasing its surface area. The He 177 V3 was dedicated to engine trials (with a focus on the Junkers Jumo 211), but the He 177 V4 introduced works such as a new rear wing, and the He 177 V5 followed.

V4 was lost while trying to recover from the dive, V5 saw its engine catch fire and the plane crashed. The 177 V6 came with the production-oriented DB606 engine (2,663 hp), while the V7 was followed by a slightly revised/cleaned bow-window scheme.

In September 1941, a more refined nose section appeared on the He 177 V8.

In September 1942, the bombing qualities of the design were withdrawn by the German authorities (Hermann Goering himself ordered an exemption from this requirement), which led to the development of the compound-engined He 177A model as "He 177B"". This design form eventually Four individually packaged engines would be powered for a more traditional look - the engine became a Daimler-Benz DB603 inline engine. Design was completed in August 1943 and a He 177 A-3 was used as an improved prototype - Three V101s, V102s and V103s were ordered.

The V102 first flew on December 20, 1943. The aircraft also had a twin-blade tail (unlike the single-blade model that preceded it). Testing continued until early 1944. When the V103 and When the V104 prototype (which was added later) was destroyed, Allied air raids were able to do the type of work.

The focus eventually shifted from the He 177B production to jet fighter-bombers such as the Arado Ar 234 "Blitz".

Eight prototypes completed the initial phase of the He 177 program. Despite known flaws in the design, pre-production orders were placed, with a total of 35 units ordered according to the He 177 A-0 standard. Competitor Arado contributed about 130 additional A-0 aircraft, of which A-0 produced a total of 70 before turning its attention to the improved He 177 A-1 form from January 1942 to 1943 260 were produced in January.

Then came the He 177 A-3 (the first to officially use the "Greif" or "Griffin" designation), with a longer rear fuselage section and an elongated engine nacelle to accommodate Daimler-Benz DB610 engines (paired DB605 inline engine). From November 1942 to June 1944, total production was 1,230.

The He 177 A-5 was the most similar to the A-3 model, with 698 of them appearing between December 1943 and August 1944, and was characterized by a heavier structure and a higher bomb load. The He 177 V7 brings a larger wingspan for higher altitude work.

Total production of the He 177 peaked at 1,169 units by the end of the year.

While the overall production of the He 177 looks impressive (though not by wartime standards), the He 177 was far from a success for the Luftwaffe during World War II. Its engine problems (mainly due to insufficient cooling) have plagued it throughout its career, so much so that the crew gave the plane nicknames such as "Luftwaffe lighter" ("Imperial lighter") and "Flame coffin" ("Flame coffin").

Scent Torch"). Although limited in large bombers, it was useful for services that lacked heavy bombers compared to the Allies (the four-engine Focke-Wulf Fw 200 "Condor" was the only real replacement at the time). The He 177 was mainly used on the Eastern Front against the Soviet Union, but some were also used against England.

The aircraft was also the operator of the Hs 293 anti-ship and "Fritz X" weapons - early guided missiles used by the Germans before the end of the war.

The He 177 operated until the end of the war in Europe in May 1945, although serial production had ended in the autumn of 1944. This design evolved to some extent as the He 277 (described in detail elsewhere). on this page) for the proposed "American Bomber" program, although the aircraft had only a few individual components completed before the surrender of Germany.

The French Air Force salvaged a pair of He 177 A-3 models left by the retreating Germans. SNCASE has overhauled these. The British took the He 177 A-5 model in the post-war years and redesignated it as a model with local country markings for use as a technology demonstrator/evaluator.

Additionally, no He 177s were officially exported outside Germany.

When completed, the He 177A-5 has a crew of 6, a wingspan of 103 feet, a height of 21.9 feet, and a length of 72.1 feet. It has a kerb weight of 37,040 pounds and a fully loaded weight of 70,550 pounds. Its armament consists of 1 x 7.92mm MG 81 machine gun in the nose, a 20mm MG 151 machine gun in the chin position, a 13mm MG 131 machine gun (rear-firing) in the belly, 2 x 13mm MG 131 machine guns in the remote control - Controlled dorsal turret with 1 x 13 mm MG 131 machine gun in the manned dorsal turret and 1 x 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon in the stern.

Inside, it has been approved to carry up to 13,230 pounds of stores inside and up to 15,875 pounds of stores outside. Three missiles are among its weapons.

The design has a top speed of 350 mph, a ferry range of 3,480 miles, a service ceiling of 26,250 feet, and a rate of climb of 625 feet per minute.