Heinkel He 176
Heinkel · Germany · first flew 1939 · fighter
The Heinkel He 176 was a German experimental rocket-powered aircraft, built of wood around a Walter liquid-fuelled rocket engine. The RLM contract of 1936 called for the world's first rocket aircraft.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, elliptical |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × rocket, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 5.21 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Tiny wooden rocket aircraft only 5 m long with a 5 m wingspan
- Elliptical wing with metal bumpers at the tips
- Frameless single-piece glazed nose that could be jettisoned in an emergency
A very small, cramped aeroplane with an elliptical wing, almost no fuselage depth and a glazed bubble nose. Its estimated top speed was 750 km/h.
Specifications
- The Heinkel He 176 has a length of 5.21 m (17 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 5 m (16 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 750 km/h (466 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Work began at Rostock in 1936 after rocket experiments with the He 72 and He 112, and the aircraft was built to fit test pilot Erich Warsitz. Its first flight was on 20 June 1939, and on 12 September 1939 the test programme was officially ended.
Variants
Only one aircraft was completed. A more advanced He 176 V2 with a more powerful engine was designed but never built.
Where you'll see it
The aircraft was displayed in the Berlin Air Museum and destroyed in an air raid in 1943. Lessons from it were used in later Heinkel projects such as the He 280 jet fighter.
Related aircraft
- Heinkel He 177 Greif
- Heinkel He 178
- Heinkel He 100
- Heinkel He 280
- Aeronautica Umbra Trojani AUT.18
- Arsenal VG-33
- Bisnovat SK-1
- Bristol Beaufighter
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