Heinkel He 115

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinkel_He_115

The Heinkel He 115 was a three-seat World War II Luftwaffe seaplane. It was used
as a torpedo bomber and performed general seaplane duties, such as
reconnaissance and minelaying. The aircraft was powered by two 960 PS (947 hp,
720 kW) BMW 132K nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engines. Some later models
could seat four, had different engines or used different weapon arrangements.

In 1935, the German Reich Air Ministry (RLM, Reichsluftfahrtministerium)
produced a requirement for a twin engined general purpose floatplane, suitable
for patrol and for anti-shipping strikes with bombs and torpedoes. Proposals
were received from Heinkel Flugzeugwerke and from the Blohm & Voss aircraft
subsidiary Hamburger Flugzeugbau. On 1 November 1935, orders were placed with
Heinkel and Hamburger Flugzeugbau for three prototypes each of their prospective
designs, the He 115 and the Ha 140.

The first prototype Heinkel flew in August 1937, testing was successful and the
He 115 design was selected over the Ha 140 early in 1938, leading to an order
for another prototype and 10 pre-production aircraft. The first prototype was
used to set a series of international records for floatplanes over 1,000 km (620
mi) and 2,000 km (1,200 mi) closed circuits at a speed of 328 km/h (204 mph).

Armament initially consisted of two 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine guns, one in
the nose and one in the dorsal position. Later He 115s were fitted with a fixed
forward-firing 15 mm or 20 mm MG 151 cannon and two rearward-firing 7.92 mm
(.312 in) MG 17 machine guns in the engine nacelles. He 115 variants carrieded
LTF 5 or LTF 6b torpedoes and SD 500 500 kg (1,100 lb) or SC 250 250 kg (550 lb)
bombs. Some also carried LMB III or LMA mines.


Role
Torpedo bomber seaplane

Manufacturer
Heinkel

First flight
August 1937

Introduction
1939

Status
Retired

Primary users
Luftwaffe
Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service
Swedish Air Force
Royal Air Force
Finnish Air Force

Number built
138

At the beginning of the war, the He 115 was used for dropping parachute mines in
British waters, normally aiming for narrow passages close to busy ports on the
English south coast; the River Thames was also a prime target. The aircraft had
its finest moment on anti-shipping operations against Arctic convoys from bases
in northern Norway. Because the first convoys lacked air cover, the slow and
lightly armed He 115 was less vulnerable than near the English coast. With the
appearance of carriers and escort carriers, coupled with new Soviet heavy
fighters like the Petlyakov Pe-3bis, Luftwaffe air superiority over the convoys
was challenged and losses increased.

Apart from its use as a minelayer and torpedo bomber, the He 115 was used for
coastal reconnaissance and by KG 200 to drop agents behind enemy lines.

Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service

In response to the rising tensions in Europe, the Norwegian Ministry of Defence
had ordered six He 115Ns for the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service (RNoNAS) on 28
August 1939 and the aircraft were delivered from 14 July – 13 November 1939. The
He 115N order was intended to replace the RNoNAS fleet of 1920s vintage Douglas
DT torpedo bombers and the obsolescent Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.11, which
was the mainstay of the RNoNAS in 1940.

Specifications (He 115 B-1)

General characteristics
Crew: 3
Length: 17.30 m (56 ft 9 in)
Wingspan: 22.28 m (73 ft 1 in)
Height: 6.60 m (21 ft 7.75 in)
Wing area: 87.5 m² (942 ft²)
Empty weight: 5,290 kg (11,670 lb)
Loaded weight: 10,400 kg (22,928 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × BMW 132K 9-cylinder radial engines, 706 kW (960 PS) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 327 km/h (203 mph)
Combat radius: 2,100 km (1,305 mi)
Service ceiling: 5,200 m (17,100 ft)
Wing loading: 103.8 kg/m² (21.3 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 139 W/kg (0.084 hp/lb)

Armament

1 × fixed 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine gun and 1 × flexible 7.92 mm (.312 in)
MG 15 machine gun in dorsal and nose positions
Five × 250 kg (550 lb) bombs or two such bombs and one torpedo of 800 kg (1,800
lb)
One 920 kg (2,030 lb) sea mine.




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