Heinkel He 274 (Amerika Bomber)

1945 COLD WAR SECRET WEAPONS OF THE LUFTWAFFE WORLD WAR 2 X-PLANE

• 1 History of the Heinkel He 274 (American bomber)
• 2 Project Background
• 3 Er 274 Operation History
• 4 Heinkel He 274 (US Bomber) Specification
  • 4.1 Basic
  • 4.2 Production
  • 4.3 Roles
  • 4.4 Dimensions
  • 4.5 Weight
  • 4.6 Performance
  • 4.7 Performance
  • 4.8 Armor
  • 4.9 Changes

History of the Heinkel He 274 (American bomber)

By the end of World War II (1939-1945), German territory shrank in epic proportions, and the war finally turned against the former conquerors. War industries and infrastructure are being destroyed day by day, while the bombing raids of the "Axis of Everything" continue non-stop.

Much of the daytime bombing was due to America's entrenched involvement in the war, which provided the Allies with massive formations of heavy bombers to destroy German targets below.

Project Background

Against this background, the Luftwaffe was forced to propose a long-range, strategically minded heavy bomber under the project "American Bomber". Originally started in 1938 but gained momentum in 1942-43, the program called for the construction of a bomb platform with a range of 3,600 miles (7,200 ferries) and a massive bomb load to terrorize U.S. cities along the East Coast so hopefully undermining U.S. engagement in Europe.

There are a number of programs that meet this requirement, including Horten's Ho XVIII aircraft, the Focke-Wulf Ta 400, and the Messerschmitt Me 264 (all three are detailed elsewhere on this page). Most don't have any physical influence, many just keep "paper planes".

Plans to develop a bomber capable of dropping nuclear weapons were also permanently abandoned.

In Airplane mode, the aircraft can reach speeds of 360 miles per hour and a range of up to 2,140 miles. Service is capped at 47,000 feet, requiring partial pressurization of the crew, with a reported rate of climb of 780 feet per minute.

Er 274 Operation History

In July 1944, after gaining a foothold in Normandy in June, the Allies began their offensive against German territory throughout northern France. This forced Heinkel workers to leave their jobs, even as the first prototype, the He 274 V1, approached its flight stage.

Instead of letting the specimen fall into Allied hands, it was ordered to be destroyed. Surprisingly, however, the plan targeted only the engines and few other targets - the airframe was more or less intact and ready to receive it when the Allies arrived.

To make matters worse, the facility still appears to have a steady supply of engines, so the future of the He 274, at least in Allied hands, isn't all that bleak.

Members of the French Ateliers Aeronautiques de Suresnes (AAS) group set out to work on a prototype to complete the still-intact He 274 fuselage. The pair were reborn under the local designation "AAS-1" (also known as "AAS-01A"), ready for service in the revived French Air Force after World War II (the war would end in 1945).

The first flight was recorded in December 1945, the first prototype and the second (AAS-01B) were in the air on December 27, 1947.

Over time, AAS was merged into SNCASO (Sud-Ouest), so the aircraft ended up falling under this more widely known/remembered association. For the remainder of their flying careers, the pair did only high-altitude data collection/research work and little else, flying under the banner of the French Air Force. As a dedicated bomb platform, the design was considered obsolete by modern standards at the time - the turbojet was already felt.

The pair also promoted several notable French aviation projects in the postwar period (mainly as "motherships" for air-launching small jet or rocket engines) until their eventual scrapping in 1953.

Heinkel He 274 (US Bomber) Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes