Heinkel He 45
The Heinkel He 45 was a light bomber produced in Germany in the early 1930s, one of the first aircraft adopted by the newly formed Luftwaffe. Its appearance was that of a conventional biplane and included seating for pilot and gunner in tandem, open cockpits. Developed in parallel with the He 46, it appeared in 1931 as a general-purpose biplane and was employed mainly as a trainer, but was also used by the Luftwaffe for reconnaissance and light bombing duties. Production of this plane totalled 512 aircraft, including those built under licence by Gotha, Focke-Wulf, and BFW.
Variants
- He 45a
- First prototype, powered by a BMW VI 7,3Z piston engine.
- He 45b
- Second protoype, fitted with four-blade propeller.
- He 45c
- Third prototype, armed with one 7.92 mm (.312 in) forward-firing MG 17 machine gun, and one 7.92 mm MG 15 machine gun in the rear cockpit.
- He 45A
- Initial production version.
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- He 45A-1
- Training version.
- He 45A-2
- Reconnaissance version.
- He 45B
- Improved production version.
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- He 45B-1
- Reconnaissance version, armed with a 7.92 mm (0.312 in) machine gun.
- He 45B-2
- Able to carry a 100 kg (220 lb) bombload.
- He 45C
- Production version of the He 45c.
- He 45D
- Slightly improved version. Similar to the He 45C.
- He 61
- Reconnaissance version of He 45C for China, powered by a 492 kW (660 hp) BMW VI piston engine.
Operators
- China
- Germany
- Hungary
- Spanish State
Specifications (He 45C)
Data from Warplanes of the Third Reich[2]
General characteristics
- Crew: Two
- Length: 10.60 m (34 ft 9⅓ in)
- Wingspan: 11.50 m (37 ft 8¾ in)
- Height: 3.60 m (11 ft 9¾ in)
- Wing area: 34.60 m² (372.32 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 2,110 kg (4,641 lb)
- Loaded weight: 2,751 kg (6,052 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × BMW VI 7,3 water-cooled V12 engine, 560 kW (750 hp)
Performance
Armament
See also
- Related lists
References
- ^ Green 1972, p. 261.
- ^ Green 1972, pp. 260–261.
- Green, William (1972). Warplanes of the Third Reich. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-05782-2.
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 499.
- World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. File 896 Sheet 24.
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