Heinkel He 118

Heinkel · Germany · first flew 1936 · bomber

A single-engine, two-seat dive bomber built by Heinkel to challenge the Junkers Ju 87 for the Luftwaffe's dive-bomber contract.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, elliptical
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	11.8 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

mid-mounted inverted gull wing of elliptical planform, with a ventral radiator bath
long framed glasshouse canopy over a tandem two-seat cockpit
single inline engine behind a slim, pointed nose

Both it and the Ju 87 carry an inverted gull wing, so that is no help — look instead for the He 118's elliptical planform and its fully retractable undercarriage, in place of the Stuka's fixed spatted legs.

Specifications

The Heinkel He 118 has a length of 11.8 m (39 ft).
It has a wingspan of 15 m (49 ft).
Its maximum speed is 394 km/h (245 mph).
Typical crew: 2 (pilot and rear gunner/observer).

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

History

Heinkel flew the He 118 in February 1936 as a cantilever-monoplane rival to the gull-winged Ju 87, but dive testing exposed serious control problems, including at least one prototype breaking apart after a dive-brake failure. The RLM chose the Ju 87 instead, and He 118 development was abandoned after a handful of prototypes.

Variants

Several prototypes (He 118 V1 through later V-numbers) trialled different engines, and one airframe was reportedly sold to Japan for study.

Where you'll see it

It never reached squadron service anywhere; its only role was as a losing competitor in Luftwaffe dive-bomber trials.

Related aircraft

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