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Heinkel He 45

Light bomber

He 45
Heinkel He 45
Role	Light bomber Type of aircraft
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.

He 45a

First prototype, powered by a BMW VI 7,3Z piston engine.

He 45b

Second prototype, 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 mmMG 15 machine gun in the rear cockpit.

He 45A

Initial production 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 45C

Production version of the He 45c.

He 45D

Slightly improved version. Similar to the He 45C.

HD 61a

Reconnaissance export version of He 45B intended for China, powered by a 492 kW (660 hp) BMW VI piston engine.^[1]

 Bulgaria

• Bulgarian Air Force

 China

• One HD 61a tested and crashed during a demonstration on 22 August 1931.^[1]

 Germany

• Luftwaffe

 Hungary

• Royal Hungarian Air Force operated a single He 45C.^[2]

 Spanish State

• Spanish Air Force

Data from Warplanes of the Third Reich ^[3]

General characteristics

• Crew:2
• Length: 10.6 m (34 ft 9 in)
• Wingspan: 11.5 m (37 ft 9 in)
• Height: 3.6 m (11 ft 10 in)
• Wing area: 34.6 m² (372 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 2,110 kg (4,652 lb)
• Gross weight: 2,751 kg (6,065 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × BMW VI 7.3 V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 560 kW (750 hp)
• Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

• Maximum speed: 290 km/h (180 mph, 160 kn)
• Cruise speed: 221 km/h (137 mph, 119 kn)
• Range: 1,200 km (750 mi, 650 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 5,500 m (18,000 ft)
• Time to altitude: 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in 2 minutes 24seconds

Armament

• Guns: 1 × 7.92 mm (.312 in) forward firing MG 17 machine gun and one MG 15 machine gun in rear cockpit
• Bombs: 300 kg (660 lb) bombs

Related lists

• List of aircraft of World War II
• List of military aircraft of Germany

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Heinkel He 45.

Notes

Bibliography

• Green, William (1972). Warplanes of the Third Reich. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-05782-2.
• 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.