Heinkel He 100

Heinkel · German Reich · first flew 1938 · fighter

The Heinkel He 100 was a high-performance single-seat fighter prototype that set a world air speed record in March 1939 at 746.6 km/h. Despite its performance, the Luftwaffe chose not to adopt it in favour of the Bf 109.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	8.2 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Surface evaporative cooling system instead of conventional radiator
Single DB 601 engine in a very clean low-drag airframe
Broke the world air speed record in 1939 but never entered Luftwaffe service

Extremely clean lines with no visible radiator, flush-riveted skin, and a deeply buried engine installation make it look more refined than the Bf 109; the wings have a tapered ellipse-like quality.

Specifications

The Heinkel He 100 has a length of 8.2 m (27 ft).
It has a wingspan of 9.4 m (31 ft).
Its maximum speed is 670 km/h (416 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

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

History

Designed as a world-record contender and potential Bf 109 successor, the He 100 used surface evaporative cooling to eliminate a conventional radiator and reduce drag. Heinkel used photographs of the same twelve aircraft in different markings to create the illusion of Luftwaffe service for propaganda purposes.

Variants

The He 100D-1 was the intended production variant; only twelve aircraft were completed, none entering operational Luftwaffe service.

Where you'll see it

The twelve He 100D-1 aircraft were used for propaganda photography and later served briefly as factory defence aircraft at Heinkel's Rostock plant.

Related aircraft

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