Heinkel He 74

He 74

Manufacturer: Heinkel
Designed by: Gx¼nter brothers
First flight: 1933
Number built: 3

The Heinkel He 74 was a light fighter aircraft developed in Germany in the early 1930s. It was a conventional, single-bay biplane with staggered, unequal-span wings braced with an I-type interplane strut. The pilot sat in an open cockpit, and the undercarriage was of the fixed, tailskid type. It was designed in response to a RLM requirement for a Heimatschutzjx¤ger - a light fighter aircraft suitable for purely defensive duties and which would have a secondary role as an advanced trainer for fighter pilots. Although it was not strictly a requirement of the specification, firms submitting designs were urged to use a monoplane layout.

During trials in 1934, the He 74 outperformed its competitors, but in the end, the RLM awarded it third place, behind the Focke-Wulf Fw 56 and Arado Ar 76, believing that since the fighters then being developed were all monoplanes, this configuration was essential for an advanced trainer as well.

Specifications

General characteristics

Crew: One pilot
Length: 6.45 m (21 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 8.15 m (26 ft 9 in)
Height: 2.20 m (7 ft 3 in)
Empty weight: 770 kg (1,697 lb)
Gross weight: 1,017 kg (2,242 lb)
Powerplant: 1 x— Argus As 10C, 180 kW (240 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 289 km/h (174 mph)
Range: 370 km (230 miles)

Armament

2 x— fixed, forward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine guns

Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. pp. 502.
Nowarra, Heinz J. (1977). Die deutsche Luftrx¼stung 1933-1945. Bonn: Bernard & Graefe. pp. Teil 2, p.184.

Heinkel He 74 Pictures and Heinkel He 74 for Sale.

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Source: WikiPedia