Heinkel He 100

1938

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Heinkel He 100

Designed as a replacement for the very successful Messerschmitt Bf 109, the He 100 failed to win production orders. Nevertheless the 12 He 100D-1 built were eventually flown by Luftwaffe pilots as home-defence fighters. Power was provided by a Daimler-Benz DB 601 engine. On 30 March 1939 He 100V8 set a new world absolute speed record of 746.604km/h at the hands of Flugkapitan Hans Dieterle.

Heinkel He 100

Specification 
 MODELHe-100D-1
 CREW1
 ENGINE1 x Deimler-Benz DB 601M, 876kW
 WEIGHTS
  Take-off weight2500 kg5512 lb
  Empty weight2070 kg4564 lb
 DIMENSIONS
  Wingspan9.42 m31 ft 11 in
  Length8.19 m27 ft 10 in
  Height2.50 m8 ft 2 in
  Wing area14.50 m2156.08 sq ft
 PERFORMANCE
  Max. speed670 km/h416 mph
  Ceiling9890 m32450 ft
  Range1005 km624 miles
 ARMAMENT1 x 20mm cannon, 2 x 7.92mm machine-guns

3-View 
Heinkel He 100A three-view drawing (1715 x 1245)

Comments1-20 21-40
Chris, 27.01.2018 04:43

Where do I find one.

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Clark, e-mail, 05.09.2021 Chris

You can find a HE 100 at the pPlanes of fame Air Museum in Chino California

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Rofu, e-mail, 18.11.2015 21:40

Glen, that decision wasn't actually Hitler's, the RLM had the He-100 rejected because her excellent performance came at a cost, as many others pointed out. The cooling system was very advanced, but couldn't stand any damage at all. A single hit to the wing, which served as the colling surface, could take out the entire cooling system. The two other reasons were that there weren't enough of the engines available, as it was the same used for the already running mass production of the Bf 109, and the Heinkel Werke did not have much capacity anymore, either, since they were crucial for bomber production.

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glen, e-mail, 26.06.2014 23:34

Politics killed the plane that was ahead of its time. Aviation buffs contend that the HE-100 would have swept the skies over Brittan in a week. We might have been speaking German today if Hitler had bought the right plane.

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pronoun, e-mail, 31.05.2013 03:15

Hello. Its not one thing but a series of things that lead to confusion. Machi m202- kl61-he100 all had one thing in common a Deimler-Benz DB 601 motor. Desighners cover the front cowling as close to the motor as they can to make it aerodynamic clean. The result is you have a outline of the powerplant in the coweling. So since the bf109 had a Deimler-Benz DB 601 motor like the rest they all looked like the bf109! Different designs all one powerplant.

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Naga, 27.11.2011 21:44

Speaking of propoganda, in February of 1945 my grandfather was a messenger for the Luftwaffe. His job was to bicycle between the quarters of officers at the aerodrome the nearby village. That month he obtained still copies of footage from a color 1940 propoganda film involving six He-100s painted in light bluish-grey and green with the numbers 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 painted in white on the fuselage. With these stills he managed to bike through the German line to British forces and surrender. The footage was siezed, but apparently in 1984 they were returned to him in his home in Los Angeles. I found them several years ago, and discovered several peculiarities I'd like to share, in case anyone on this site knows anything about them. First off, the aircraft flew in two formations of three, in the "vic" pattern, which I thought odd considering that the German's had proven the formation obsolescent and were in the midst of using the "finger-four" formation for their schwarms. Second, in the first three or so stills (there were about thirty in all), He-100s 3, 4, and 5 clearly had 7.92mm machinegun barrels protruding from their position in the wingroots. I studied those pictures for two years and cannot believe they are anything else. What's odd is that after the third photograph, He-100s 3, 4, and 5 did not have barrels protruding. Can anyone explain this? Were the aircraft filmed at two seperate times? Were any He-100s equipped with differing armaments, or did the Luftwaffe alter the images? I cannot find the original film but last I checked my grandfather still has those stills.

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Naga, 19.04.2011 21:52

For propoganda purposes only, but some of the more ameture historians will fall into that trap.

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Cisco, e-mail, 31.03.2011 09:20

I have just read a book whereby the Heinkle 100 was referred to as the 113

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Ron, e-mail, 06.02.2011 02:04

So much for cut & paste, sorry.
See the Ki 61 site for my boiled down version.
Point is I stand by my facts that the He 100 was not copied by Kawasaki. Likewise the Bf 109F, Macchi MC 202, or Soviet LaGG-3! Some propaganda dies hard.
While the Ki 61 Tony was influenced by German, English, and other foreign designers, it is a Japanese original in the way the P-51 was American even though it was powered by a British engine. Although the Mustang was heavily influenced by the English, to claim it is therefor a copy of the Spitfire would be at the risk of insulting the reader's intelligence.

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Ron, e-mail, 03.02.2011 09:01

Let's see some facts about the designer of the Ki 61:
"Takeo Doi was born in Yamagata city
Yamagata, Yamagata
is the capital city of Yamagata Prefecture in Japan.The famed temple of Yama-dera lies within the city limits, 15 minutes by train from the center....

, Yamagata prefecture
Yamagata Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on Honshū island. Its capital is Yamagata.- History :The aboriginal Ezo people once inhabited the area now known as Yamagata. During the Heian Period , the Fujiwara family ruled the area...

, Japan in 1904.
He graduated from the Yamagata Higher School
Yamagata University
is a national university located in the Japanese cities of Yamagata, Yonezawa and Tsuruoka in Yamagata Prefecture.The university was established in 1949 but its origin can be traced back to the , a public teacher-training institution, founded in 1878 in Yamagata City.The university also has other...

in 1924, and Department of Aeronautics
Aeronautics
Aeronautics is the science involved with the study, design, and manufacture of flight-capable machines, or the techniques of operating aircraft...

, Faculty of Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize solutions to the needs of society.The American...

, Tokyo Imperial University in 1927
.
Jiro Horikoshi
Jiro Horikoshi
was the chief engineer behind many Japanese fighters of WWII. Most notable of such was the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter.He was born near the city of Fujioka, Gunma Prefecture, Japan....

and Hidemasa Kimura, who designed the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter and the Koken
Gasuden Koken
The Gasuden Koken was a Japanese long-range research aircraft of the 1930s. It was built by the Tokyo Gas and Electric Industry , to break the world record for longest flight, setting a closed circuit world record of 11,651 km in March 1938.-Development and design:In 1931, the Aeronautical...

(Tokyo Imperial University Aeronautical Research Institute) Long-range Research-plane, respectively, were his classmates at the department in the university.

In 1927, he started his career in Aircraft Department of Kawasaki Dockyard Company Limited (Kobe
Kobe
is the sixth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Tokyo. Kobe is a prominent port city with a population of about 1.5 million. The city is located in the Kansai region of Japan and is part of the ...

, Japan), which later became Kawasaki Aircraft Company Limited in 1937. These are the predecessors of present Kawasaki Heavy Industries Aerospace Company
Kawasaki Heavy Industries Aerospace Company
is the aerospace division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries. It produces aircraft, space systems, simulators, jet engines, missiles, and electronic equipment.-Pre-war genesis:...

reorganized in 1969.
At that time, Dr. Richard Vogt
Richard Vogt (aircraft designer)
Richard Vogt was a German engineer and aircraft designer.He is well known as a designer of unique warplanes, including an asymmetrically-shaped reconnaissance aircraft and a nuclear-powered bomber, during and after World War II.- Biography :Richard Vogt was born in Schwäbisch Gmünd, a town in the...

was also working for the Kawasaki Dockyard Company Limited, Kobe
Kobe
is the sixth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Tokyo. Kobe is a prominent port city with a population of about 1.5 million. The city is located in the Kansai region of Japan and is part of the ...

(1923 - 1933). The company invited Vogt from Germany as a technical advisor to teach its engineers in the construction techniques of Dornier
Dornier Flugzeugwerke
Dornier Flugzeugwerke was a German aircraft manufacturer founded in Friedrichshafen in 1914 by Claudius Dornier. Over the course of its long lifespan, the company produced many notable designs for both the civil and military markets.-History:...

aircraft which Kawasaki was building under license. As a chief designer, Vogt trained new-face engineer Doi to be his successor. They worked jointly on several aircraft projects, including the (KDA-5 Army Type 92 biplane fighter, KDA-2 Army Type 88 reconnaissance
Surveillance aircraft
Surveillance aircraft are military aircraft used for monitoring enemy activity, usually carrying no armament. This article concentrates on military aircraft used in this role, though a major civilian aviation activity is reconnaissance and ground surveillance for mapping, traffic monitoring,...

biplane, KDA-3 single-seat fighter, and KDA-5 Army Type 92-I biplane fighter).


During this peri ...

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Ron, e-mail, 02.02.2011 21:52

Correction: The DXHe1 was from the He 118 not the He 112.

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Ron, e-mail, 02.02.2011 08:33

3 He 100 pre-production fighters went to Japan and 6 to Russia. I would say the Ki 64 was influenced by the evaporation cooling of the He 100 perhaps. Also the Yokosuka D4Y1 Judy bomber was based on the He 112.
The Ki 61 was certainly informed by the latest designs, Allied as well as Axis. But I don't subscribe to the conclusion that the Hien was a copy of the He 100D. Just because the RAF was impressed with the Fw 190A doesn't mean the radial Tempest II was a copy, -as much as it may have been influenced by it.
The Japanese studied and tested the Focke Wulf too and will we say that the Ki 100 or the radial D4Y3 were copies of it (both the Tony and Judy dropped the licensed DB inline powerplant and were aided by the Fw 190 Anton design to successfully install radial engines)?
In the case of the Judy, the He 112 was going to be made in Japan by Hitachi but the tooling and jigs never came.
That the Kawasaki Tony was a copy of the He 100D is much more of a reach to me! Most serious publications give little credence to such conclusions.
Many designs were influenced by others the world over. No one says the F8F is a copy of a Japanese interceptor. But it's weight reduction and maneuverability resulted partly from Grummans dueling with Zeros, Franks, Jacks, and Georges.

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Kadesh, 25.01.2011 22:06

Whoa there, Ron, cool down a bit there. The Japanese had purchased at least one model He 100 and the Ki 61 is basically a Japanese copy of it, just without a liscense. I agree the Folgore is definitley Italiant through and through, but the Ki 61 has the German influence on it. For one thing, up until the introduction of the Ha 40 (140? can't remember), all Jap planes built after the very late thirties had radials (Nakajima built one in-line puller biplane but from what i've heard it only came into service with a radial), their wings were developed to be rounded for better high-altitude flight, not flat at the tips like the Tony, and fighter armament, up until the Zero, was concentrated primarily on the fuselage. You've got a good model your pals don't want, what's to stop you from building your own version? Sure there was no liscence, and when has any company openly admitted to copying somebody else's design pretty much illegally even though your pals never use it? Shifty, next time be specific, and Ron, keep it cool man, it wasn't exactly western propaganda, and i'm anti-capitalist, so coming from me this has a lot of significance.

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Ron, e-mail, 15.01.2011 00:19

Shifty,
Check out the Kawasaki site. It's not a Heinkel design.
The Ki 61 Hien 'Tony' was codenamed after the Italian Macchi MC 202 which was powered by a DB-601A built under licence in Italy just like it was in Japan in a lightweight version. The Hien was helped by a German engineer on the team I believe, but it was a Japanese design as the MC 202 Folgore was an Italian design. They were not copies of a German fighter from Messerschmitt or Heinkel.
It seems some Western thinking was slow to accept the facts about Japan's design talent. This arrogance cost the West dearly. Please look it up before you perpetuate such tired wartime propaganda.
The He 100 was always a curious bird for me.
It outperformed the Me 109 but cost too much to produce and lacked good handling so it was utilized for propaganda.
It was also a defender of it's factories. I'm happy that it was counted in the Bodenplate raid of 1945. It was really ahead of it's time in 1940.

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Shifty, 22.10.2010 23:20

Yeah, Archer, a guy already stated that. Actually the Heinkel brothers were out of favor with the Luftwaffe. Goring was really bias and becuase of that a lot of good designs were rejected. That and the fact that the 100 was much more expensive and difficult to maintain eventually led to its downfall. If you notice,Kawasaki actually built quite a few He 100s under a different name (cant remember number but nickname was Swallow (Japan) and Tony (US). Lots of people still think it was built using 109 parts but it wasn't really.

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Archer, 22.10.2010 23:16

Response to Xiaohan
Focke-Wulf 190 carried different engine. He 100 used Messerschmitt engine, all earmarked for 109. If you had to build engines, wouldn't you prefer the ease of building for only one company?

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Asbestos, e-mail, 11.07.2010 05:18

@ Xiaohan:
Likely because the Fw 190 used a completely different, and more importantly available, engine. The He 100 used the same engine as the Bf 109, which being already in production, was given priority. Or at least that's a theory as to why the He 100 was passed over while the 109 kept on.

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OttoBufonto, e-mail, 18.06.2010 20:41

Some good comments. at Leo: Heinkel was kind of forced to build bombers. E.Udet set a speed record with He100 for 100km flight endurance with warning lights, which he neglected. At Diethard: Heinkel claimed that his pressurized cooling system was even less susceptible to battle damage than a conventional cooler, but the concept was not proven in any aircraft. At Xiaohan: The He 100 was a private venture competing with the Me 109 which at the time just entered mass production. The FW 190 was a different concept (originally air cooled BMW engine) and therefore chosen as a backup. Source:E.Heinkel, Stürmisches Leben

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Diethard, e-mail, 04.04.2010 12:43

The problem of this fighter was the cooling system. In order to reduce drag, the cooling was put under the skin of the wings. Most other fighters of that time had coolers under the wing. It was thought, that the cooling system was very susceptible to battle damage.

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Taffwob, e-mail, 01.04.2010 17:07

If you want to talk trash go on youtube or play on xbox live. This is a site for aircraft enthusiasts where they can share information.

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Fowl Mouth Police, 12.07.2009 19:23

My 9 year old son likes to surf this site so no "$*&!.

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