Heinkel He 280
Encyclopedia : H : HE : HEI : Heinkel He 280
| Heinkel He 280 V3 | ||
|---|---|---|
 Heinkel He-280 V2. Note the missing engine nacelle, removed due to a fuel leak. | ||
| Description | ||
| Role | Fighter | |
| Crew | One, pilot | |
| First Flight | ||
| Manufacturer | Heinkel | |
| Dimensions | ||
| Length | 10.40 m | 34 ft 1 in |
| Wingspan | 12.20 m | 40 ft |
| Height | 3.06 m | 10 ft |
| Wing area | 21.5 m² | 233 ft² |
| Weights | ||
| Empty | 3,215 kg | 7,073 lb |
| Loaded | 4,280 kg | 9,416 lb |
| Maximum takeoff | 4,300 kg | 6,184 lb |
| Powerplant | ||
| Engines | 2x Heinkel HeS.8 turbojets | |
| Thrust | 13.7 kN | 3,080 lbf |
| Performance | ||
| Maximum speed | 650 km/h | 405 mph |
| Range | 370 km | 230 miles |
| Service ceiling | 10,000 m | 32,000 ft |
| Rate of climb | 1,145 m/min | 3,756 ft/min |
| Armament | ||
| Guns | 3 x 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons | |
The Heinkel company began the He 280 project on its own initiative after the He 178 had been met with indifference from the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (Reich Aviation Ministry, RLM). The head designer was Robert Lusser, who began the project under the designation He 180 in late 1939. The eventual result was, on first appearances, a highly conventional aircraft by the standards of the day — a mid-wing with no sweep and two jet engines mounted in nacelles underneath. Externally, the most notable innovation was a tricycle undercarriage, probably included because experience with the He 178 showed the advantages of this arrangement for jet aircraft. Internally, the He 280 was equipped an ejector seat, the first aircraft to carry one. It was also planned to pressurise the cockpit.
The first prototype was completed in the summer of 1940, but the Heinkel HeS 8 intended to power it was running into difficulties. While work on the engine continued, on September 22 1940 the first prototype started glide tests with ballast hung in place of its engines. It would be another six months before Fritz Schäfer would take the second prototype into the air under its own power, on March 30 1941. The type was then demonstrated to Ernst Udet on April 5, but like its predecessor, it apparently failed to make an impression.
Had Udet given the OK for development, which meant sending badly needed funding to Heinkel, the jet engine problem would have been solved. Such was the case with all jet engines in German aircraft. They lacked government funding when they needed it most, during the development stage. The entire jet program was underfunded and therefore suffered completely from unreliable engines.
It is reasonable to assume that by late 1941, had the German government given the OK for production, He-280s would have been rolling off the production lines. By 1942, with the cream of the German Luftwaffe pilots flying them and gaining experience as they went, the 280, flying nearly 100 miles per hour faster than anything the allies had, would have been untouchable.
The giant allied bomber offensives that followed in '43 never could have happened with German pilots flying He-280 jets. There would have been no disruption in German war material, and with the success of the 280, Germany would surely have pushed forward the development of the ME 262 which was even better. But it was not to be as Udet, on that March day in 1941, could not see a need for a plane without propellers, no matter what its future might be.
Over the next year, progress was slow due to the ongoing engine problems. A second engine design, the Heinkel HeS 30 was also undergoing development, both as an interesting engine in its own right, as well as a potential replacement for the HeS 8. In the meantime, alternative powerplants were considered, including the Argus As 014 pulsejet that famously powered the V-1 flying bomb.
By the end of 1943, however, the third prototype was fitted with refined versions of the HeS 8 engine and was ready for its next demonstration. On December 22, a mock dogfight was staged for RLM officials in which the He 280 was matched against a Focke-Wulf Fw 190. Here, the jet not only demonstrated its vastly superior speed, but also out-maneuvered its opponent. Finally, the RLM became interested, and placed an order for twenty pre-production test aircraft, to be followed by 300 production machines.
Engine problems continued to plague the project. In 1942 the RLM had ordered Heinkel to abandon the HeS 8 and HeS 30 to focus all development on a follow-on engine, the Heinkel HeS 011, a much more advanced (and therefore problematic) design. Meanwhile, the first He 280 prototype had been re-equipped with the Argus pulsejets and was towed aloft to test them. Bad weather caused the aircraft to ice up, however, and before the jets could be tested, pilot Helmut Schenk became the first person to put an ejector seat to use. The seat worked perfectly, but the aircraft was lost.
With the HeS 011 not expected for some time, Heinkel was forced to accept that they would have to use a competitor's engines, and selected the BMW 003. Unfortunately, this engine was also experiencing problems and delays, and in the meantime, the second He 280 prototype was re-engined with Junkers Jumo 004s while the next three airframes were earmarked for the BMW motor (which, in the end, would never be ready before the end of the He 280 project). The Jumo engines were much larger and heavier than the HeS 8 that the plane had been designed for, and while it flew well enough (for the first time on March 16 1943), it was immediately obvious that this engine would be unsuitable in the long term.
Less than two weeks later, on March 27, Erhard Milch cancelled the project. The Jumo 004 powered Me 262 appeared to have most of the qualities of the He 280, but was better matched to its engine. Heinkel was ordered to abandon the He 280 and focus attention on bomber construction, something he remained bitter about until his death.
see also: List of World War II jet aircraft
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