Heinkel He 45

He 45

Manufacturer: Heinkel
First flight: 1931
Primary user: Luftwaffe
Number built: 512

The Heinkel He 45 was a light bomber produced in Germany in the early 1930s, one of the first aircraft adopted by the newly-formed Luftwaffe. Its appearance was that of a conventional biplane and included seating for pilot and gunner in tandem, open cockpits. Developed in parallel with the He 46, it appeared in 1931 as a general-purpose biplane and was employed mainly as a trainer, but was also used by the Luftwaffe for reconnaissance and light bombing duties. Production of this plane totalled 512 aircraft, including those built under licence by Gotha, Focke-Wulf, and BFW.

Variants

He 45a
First prototype, powered by a BMW VI 7,3Z piston engine.
He 45b
Second protoype, fitted with four-blade propeller.
He 45c
Third prototype, armed with one 7.92 mm (.312 in) forward-firing MG 17 machine gun, and one 7.92 mm MG 15 machine gun in the rear cockpit.
He 45A
Initial production version.

He 45A-1
Training version.
He 45A-2
Reconnaissance version.

He 45A-1
Training version.
He 45A-2
Reconnaissance version.

He 45B
Improved production version.

He 45B-1
Reconnaissance version, armed with a 7.92 mm (0.312 in) machine gun.
He 45B-2
Able to carry a 100 kg (220 lb) bombload.

He 45B-1
Reconnaissance version, armed with a 7.92 mm (0.312 in) machine gun.
He 45B-2
Able to carry a 100 kg (220 lb) bombload.

He 45C
Production version of the He 45c.
He 45D
Slightly improved version. Similar to the He 45C.
He 61
Reconnaissance version of He 45C for China, powered by a 492 kW (660 hp) BMW VI piston engine.

Operators

China
Germany

Specifications (He 45)

General characteristics

Crew: Two
Length: 10.0 m (32 ft 10 in)
Wingspan: 11.50/10.0 m (37 ft 8 in / 32 ft 10 in)
Height: 3.6 m (11 ft 10 in)
Wing area: 34.59 m² (372.32 sq ft)
Empty weight: 2,105 kg (4,642 lb)
Loaded weight: 2,745 kg (6,063 lb)
Powerplant: 1x— BMW VI-J32 water-cooled V12 engine, 550 kW (737 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 290 km/h (180 mph)
Cruise speed: 220 km/h (137 mph)
Range: 1,200 km (746 mi)
Service ceiling: 5,500 m (18,000 ft)

Armament

2 x— 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine guns
Small bombs

Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 499.
World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. File 896 Sheet 24.

Heinkel He 45 Pictures and Heinkel He 45 for Sale.

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Source: WikiPedia