CASA 2.111

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2.111

CASA 2.111T8 in Winnipeg c. 1996
Type Medium bomber
Manufacturer CASA
Designed by Heinkel Flugzeugwerke;
Siegfried and Walter Günter
Introduced 1940
Retired 1973
Primary user Spanish Air Force
Produced 1940–1956[1]
Number built 236
Developed from Heinkel He 111

The CASA 2.111 was a medium bomber derived from the Heinkel He 111 and produced in Spain under license by Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA. The 2.111 models differed significantly from Heinkel's original design, featuring heavier armament and eventually Rolls Royce Merlin engines.[2]

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[edit] History

Following the Spanish Civil War, in 1937 the Spanish Air Force received a number of He 111Bs from Germany, which had begun to receive the improved He 111D model. There was a need for more modern aircraft, however, so in 1940 CASA negotiated a contract with Heinkel to produce 200 examples of the newer He 111H-16 in Seville.[2] The armament was to be increased, requiring more powerful Jumo 211 engines, and around 130 examples of three versions were produced: the 2.111A, a medium bomber; the 2.111C, a reconnaissance bomber; and the 2.111F, a dual-control trainer.[3]

Following the end of the war, access to the German-built Junkers engines became an issue, and CASA found an alternative with the Rolls-Royce Merlin 500. In 1953, 173 Merlin engines were ordered. The newly Merlin-powered bombers and reconnaissance bombers became the 2.111B and 2.111D, respectively; some were re-engined, while others were built new. A nine-passenger transport, the 2.111T8, was also developed and produced.[3] Spanish 2.111s served into the late 1960s and, in the case of the transports, early 1970s. Many of the aircraft retired in the 1960s found second lives in movies such as Battle of Britain and Patton, due to the family resemblance with Heinkel He 111s.

Approximately 14 of these Spanish licensed built Heinkel He 111s survive today in various conditions on display or storage. One modified Spanish 2.111D served as a transport for Spanish VIPs, including General Francisco Franco, before being purchased in England by the Commemorative Air Force in 1977. It remained the last He 111 in flyable condition until 10 July 2003, when it was destroyed in a fatal crash landing. The aircraft was attempting a landing at the Cheyenne Municipal Airport, near Cheyenne, Wyoming, while en route from Midland, Texas to an air show in Missoula, Montana. Eyewitness reports indicate the aircraft lost power to one engine on final approach and ploughed through a chain link fence before colliding with a school bus washing building under construction. CAF pilot Neil R. Stamp and co-pilot Charles S. Bates were killed.

[edit] Specifications (2.111B)

Data from Deutsches Museum[1]

General characteristics

Performance


[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b He 111. Deutsches Museum. Retrieved on 13 January 2007.
  2. ^ a b Heinkel He 111. EADS N.V.. Retrieved: 17 January 2007.
  3. ^ a b Wilson, Randy. It's a Heinkel: the Luftwaffe's workhorse Heinkel 111 bomber. The Dispatch. Volume 12, Number 4, Winter 1996. Retrieved: 25 February 2007.

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] External links

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