Heinkel HD 55

Heinkel · Germany · first flew 1929 · reconnaissance aircraft

The Heinkel HD 55 was a German biplane flying boat of the early 1930s, built for use as a shipboard reconnaissance aircraft aboard Soviet warships, where it was designated KR-1.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	10.35 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

German interwar two-seat biplane flying boat
Single radial engine on struts above the open cockpit
Equal-span unstaggered wings; catapult-launched from Soviet warships

A biplane flying boat with equal-span, unstaggered wings and a radial engine mounted tractor-wise on struts above the pilot's open cockpit, with a second open cockpit aft for a gunner.

Specifications

The Heinkel HD 55 has a length of 10.35 m (34 ft).
It has a wingspan of 14 m (46 ft).
Its maximum speed is 194 km/h (121 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Based on the HD 15 mail plane, the HD 55 followed a May 1929 meeting between Heinkel and Soviet officials, which led to a contract for 15 aircraft and two catapults, later increased. Catapult trials began on the battleship Parizhskaya Kommuna in October 1930.

Variants

Known in Soviet service as the KR-1 (Korabelniy Razvedchik, shipboard reconnaissance); about 40 were built.

Where you'll see it

KR-1s served aboard the cruisers Chervona Ukraina, Komintern, Krasny Kavkaz and Profintern despite persistent structural defects, lingering until around 1938 because the Beriev Be-2 replacement failed; by 1941 all had been scrapped or stored.

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