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Germany's Heinkel He 162 Salamander jet fighter1,2
Heinkel He 162 Salamander jet fighter:
Heinkel He 162 Salamander jet fighter:
Heinkel He 162 Salamander jet fighter:
Heinkel He 162 Salamander jet fighter, under construction in salt mines outside Magdeburg:
Design
Was designed by Ernst Heinkel.1 He called it the Swallow.1
The Heinkel He 162 was an attempt to design a mass produced Volksjäger "peoples fighter" that would battle the Allied bombers.1 It was hoped that pilots with little training or experience could fly the He 162.1 The plan was that Hitler Youth would be given elementary training in gliders.2 However, it suffered from aerodynamic and structural problems which caused it to be difficult to fly.1
Cockpit
The pilot had one of the first ejection seats in an aircraft.1
The cockpit had a one piece canopy which gave the pilot an excellent view.1
Fuselage
The fuselage was built of metal.2
Undercarriage
With the heavy engine mounted above the fuselage and the undercarriage being very narrow made handling on the ground difficult.1
Wings
The wings were made primarily of wood with light allow flaps.1,2 It was hoped to solve the aerodynamic problems by using turned down wingtips.1,2
Engine
The BMW engine was mounted above the fuselage.1,2 This caused the He 162 to be unstable in pitch which caused it to be hard to fly.1 The placement of the engine also lead to the need for the pilot to use an ejection seat as a parachute could have been caught in the turbojet.1
Prototype
The He 162 prototype first flew on December 6, 1944, which was 38 days after the detailed drawings were given to the factory.1,2 It crashed four days later when the right wing broke up.1
Production
More than 270 He 162s were produced and over 800 unfinished aircraft were captured.1
150 were delivered to the Luftwaffe.2 100 were awaiting flight testing.2 800 were on in the production line.2
It was planned to build 4,0002 / 5,000 a month.1 Construction was to take place in three factories.2
Variants
- He 162A-1: 30 mm cannon.2
- He 162A-2: 20 mm cannon.2 Tail plane span was increased.2
Usage
On May 4, 1945 a Gruppe (1/JG12) was formed at Leck with 50 He 162 fighters.1
No actual reports of combat have ever been confirmed.1
| Heinkel He 162 Salamander2 | Heinkel He 162A-2 Salamander1,2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Fighter2 | Jet fighter1 |
| Crew | 12 | 11 |
| Engine (Type) | BMW 003E-1/2 turbojet2 | BMW 003E-1 axial flow turbojet1 |
| Thrust at take-off | 1,760 lb2 7.9 kN2 |
1,755 lb1 7.8 kN1 |
| Thrust maximum for 30 seconds |
2,030 lb1 9.02 kN1 |
|
| Dimensions | ||
| Span | 23' 7.75"2 7.21 m2 |
23' 7"1 7.2 m1 |
| Length | 29' 8.5"2 9.05 m2 |
29' 8"1 9.05 m1 |
| Height | 8' 6"2 2.59 m2 |
8' 6"1 2.6 m1 |
| Wing area | 121 ft2 1 11.2 m2 1 |
|
| Weight | ||
| Empty | 4,796 lb2 2,175 kg2 |
3,659 lb1 1,663 kg1 |
| Loaded | 5,480 lb2 2,486 kg2 |
6,171 lb1 2,805 kg1 |
| Maximum load | 5,940 lb2 2,694 kg2 |
|
| Performance | ||
| Speed at sea level | 490 mph1,2 602 km1, 788 kph2 |
|
| Speed @ 19,685' / 6,000 m |
522 mph2 840 kph2 |
|
| Climb | 4,230'/minute2 1,289 m/minute2 |
|
| Climb to 19,685' / 6,000 m |
6.6 minutes2 | |
| Service ceiling | 39,400'1, 39,500'2 12,010 m1, 12,048 m2 |
|
| Endurance at sea level | 20 minutes2 | |
| Endurance at 36,000' / 10,973 m |
57 minutes2 | |
| Range | 384 miles1, 410 miles2 620 km1, 660 km2 |
|
| Armament | ||
| Fuselage | 2: 20 mm2 | 2: 20 mm MG 1511 |
| OR | 2: 30 mm2 |
Sources:
- Aircraft of WWII, General Editor: Jim Winchester, 2004
- Aircraft of WWII, Stewart Wilson, 1998
