Heinkel He 50
Heinkel / Aichi · Germany · first flew 1931 · bomber
The Heinkel He 50 was a single-engine biplane designed as a shipboard and land-based dive bomber for both Germany and Japan in the early 1930s. It was among the early purpose-built dive bombers, predating more famous successors.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 9.6 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Single-engine biplane dive bomber
- Fixed spatted undercarriage
- Open cockpit, two-bay equal-span wings
A conventional single-bay sesquiplane biplane with a large radial engine, fixed undercarriage with large spats, and an open tandem cockpit — typical of early 1930s German biplane construction.
Specifications
- The Heinkel He 50 has a length of 9.6 m (31 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 11.5 m (38 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 290 km/h (180 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Developed in 1931, the He 50 was delivered to the German Navy as a shore-based type, and Aichi in Japan licence-built it for the Imperial Japanese Navy as the Aichi AB-3. The German examples were used to develop dive-bombing tactics and later served as trainers in the Luftwaffe, while the Japanese operated them from carriers briefly.
Variants
The He 50a was an early float-equipped variant; the He 50b was the land-based version. The Aichi AB-3 was the Japanese licence-built naval variant.
Where you'll see it
Served with the German Navy and early Luftwaffe in training and evaluation roles through the mid-1930s; the Japanese Naval Air Service operated Aichi-built examples briefly in the early 1930s.
Related aircraft
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