The Heinkel HE 8 was a reconnaissance floatplane built in Germany in the late 1920s. It was developed at the request of the Danish Navy, which had noted the success of the HE 5 in Swedish service, and wished to purchase a similar aircraft as well as licensed production as the Orlogsvaerftet HM.II.[citation needed] Apart from its new Armstrong Siddeley engine, the HE 8 also differed from the HE 5 and previous members of the HE 1 family in having a conventional empennage. 22 aircraft were operated until the German invasion in 1940, after which one example was impressed into Luftwaffe service and the remainder placed in storage.[citation needed]

HE 8, HE 31 and HM.II
Orlogsvaerftet HM.II of the Royal Danish Navy
Role Reconnaissance floatplane
National origin Germany
Manufacturer Heinkel
First flight 1927
Primary user Danish Navy
Number built 22

A single HE 8 was built with a Packard 3A-2500 engine and designated HE 31.

Operators

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  Denmark
  Yugoslavia

Specifications (HM.II)

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Data from Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1931 [1]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 3
  • Length: 11.65 m (38 ft 3 in)
  • Wingspan: 16.8 m (55 ft 1 in)
  • Height: 4.4 m (14 ft 5 in)
  • Wing area: 45 m2 (480 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 1,675 kg (3,693 lb)
  • Gross weight: 2,650 kg (5,842 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar 14-cylinder two-row air-cooled geared radial piston engine, 320 kW (430 hp)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch metal propeller

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 212 km/h (132 mph, 114 kn)
  • Range: 1,290 km (800 mi, 700 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 5,600 m (18,400 ft)
  • Rate of climb: 2.8 m/s (550 ft/min)
  • Time to altitude: 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in 3 minutes 12 seconds: 5,000 m (16,000 ft) in 28 minutes'
  • Wing loading: 61.8 kg/m2 (12.7 lb/sq ft)
  • Power/mass: 14.2 lb/hp (8.6 kg/kW)

Armament

  • Guns: 1 × fixed, forward-firing 8 mm (0.315 in) Madsen machine gun, 1 × trainable, rearward-firing 8 mm (0.315 in) Madsen machine gun
  • Bombs: 8 × 12.5 kg (28 lb) bombs

See also

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Related lists

References

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  1. ^ Grey, C.G., ed. (1931). Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1931. London: Sampson Low, Marston & company, ltd. p. 97c.

Bibliography

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  • Ledet, Michel (March 2002). "Le Heinkel HE 8". Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (108): 36–45. ISSN 1243-8650.
  • Ledet, Michel (April 2002). "Le Heinkel HE 8". Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (109): 30–38. ISSN 1243-8650.

Further reading

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  • Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 498.
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