The He 8 was a two/three-seat reconnaissance floatplane powered by a 335kW Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar radial engine. It was a development of the earlier Napier Lion-engined He 5. The Danish Naval Air Service received at least 22 under the designation H.M.II, many remaining operational throughout the 1930s. Maximum level speed was 218km/h. Armament comprised a rear-mounted machine-gun.