Heinkel He 178

History of Heinkel He 178

The Heinkel He 178 ushered in a new era of aviation by becoming the world's first practical turbojet. The aircraft exists as a technology demonstrator designed to test the feasibility of new propulsion methods and lay the groundwork for next-generation aircraft designs.

Before the end of World War II (1939-1945), only two such products were produced. Both were lost in separate Allied bombings - the first in the care of the Berlin Air Museum in 1943 and the second in a warehouse in Rostock in 1945.

Heinkel was a well-known and relevant aviation group at this time in aviation history. Founded by Ernst Heinkel in 1922, the company was primarily focused on designing and developing airframes that were considered exceptional at the time.

A shift in company priorities before World War II led Heinkel to invest in the concept of turbojet propulsion. Heinkel accepts the services of the engineer Dr. Hans Pabst von Ohain leads the development of the in-house turbojet. Dr. Ohain came to the company with experience in gas turbines, and Heinkel showed enough interest in the concept to push it further

The design of the He 178 had several glaring flaws, chiefly the placement of the turbojet engine, which was low on the plane. By truncating the air intake on the nose, a long section of duct is required to inhale the engine. Such lengths delay much-needed airflow, reducing engine powerthe He 178 has a poor power-to-weight ratio, limiting top speed.

The prototype's wingspan is also very short, which directly limits the wing area, affecting stability and handling. During the He 178's brief career, the landing gear proved to be faulty, and despite attempts, it was never fully repaired - which also led to the sub-400 mph speeds shown in test flights.

To that end, the He 178 was a rather limited test bed with underpowered cores, serving more as a stepping stone to a more promising design than a direct link to a combat fighter prototype.

As the Luftwaffe's interest in the Heinkel method was lukewarm at best, the He 178 never made it past its prototype stage. Two prototypes (He 178A and He 178B) were eventually completed, laying the groundwork for the upcoming He 280 twin-turbojet fighter prototype, which gained considerable fame and attention in the years that followed.

Interestingly, the "failure" of the He 178 sparked the German design practice of installing turbojets in the outer nacelle to facilitate adjustment, repair and replacement, while making the most of unneeded piping - by contrast Embedded turbojet of the He 178 concept.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes