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The Heinkel He 60 was a German biplane reconnaissance seaplane designed to be catapulted from Kriegsmarine (German Navy) warships of the 1930s. It was designed by Heinkel engineer Reinhold Mewes, the designer of the He 59. It first flew in 1933 and its original powerplant proved inadequate. The upgrading of its engine only marginally improved its performance. However, instead of shipboard duties, He 60s began to be deployed to Kriegsmarine training units in the late 1930s. Its water handling qualities bested its air handling. However, the machine equipped several Staffeln (squadrons) when World War II began. The He 60, despite being vulnerable to enemy fighter attack because of its modest performance, continued to serve in coastal patrol work in the Baltic and the Mediterranean Seas during the early months of the war. It also saw action with Spanish Nationalist forces during the Civil War.
Of conventional configuration, the He 60 was a sturdy aircraft, designed (as the specification required) to be capable of operating on the open sea. As a result, it was always somewhat underpowered for its weight, which made handling sluggish and the aircraft vulnerable to enemy fire. As the aircraft developed, more powerful engine variants were fitted, and the structure lightened somewhat, but performance would always remain rather poor. The aircraft was replaced first by the Heinkel He 114 in service, then soon after by the Arado Ar 196. Apart from action in Spain, a few He 60s were brought back into service briefly to act as coastal scouts during Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. All He 60s were removed from service by October 1943.
[edit] Variants
- He 60a
- First prototype.
- He 60b
- Second prototype.
- He 60c
- Third prototype.
- He 60A
- 14 pre-production aircraft.
- He 60B
- Initial production version.
- He 60B-3
- One aircraft fitted with a 671-kW (900-hp ) Daimler-Benz DB 600 engine.
- He 60C
- Improved version.
- He 60D
- Unarmed trainer version.
[edit] Operators
Germany
Spanish State
[edit] Specifications (He 60)
General characteristics
- Crew: two (pilot and observer)
- Length: 11.5 m (37 ft 8.75 in)
- Wingspan: 13.5 m (44 ft 3.75 in)
- Height: 5.30 m (17 ft 4.75 in)
- Wing area: 56.2 m2 (620 ft2)
- Empty weight: 2730 kg (6,019 lb)
- Loaded weight: 3556 kg (7,840 lb)
- Powerplant: 1× BMW VI 6.0 water-cooled V12 engine, 492 kW (660 hp)
Performance
Armament
[edit] See also
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