Aviation Archive Issue 25 - 2016 UK

(Jacob Rumans) #1

84 HEAVY FIGHTERS OF WW2


(a first for any aircraft), a fully-retractable
tricycle undercarriage landing gear system
(a first for any German aircraft) and a cockpit
pressurisation system for high-altitude work.
Additionally, the type was to be defended by
remotely-controlled defensive gun turrets.

Heinkel He 219A-7


Type: Twin-engined,
night fighter
Crew: Two
Dimensions:
Length: 51ft (15.5m)
Wingspan: 60ft 8in (18.5m)
Height: 14ft 5in (4.4m)
Weights:
Max T/O: 29,900lb (13,580kg)
Performance:
Max Speed: 385mph (616km/h)
Range: 960 miles (1,540km)
Powerplant: 2 × Daimler-Benz DB
603E liquid-cooled
inverted V12 engines
Armament: 4 × 20mm MG151
cannons in a detachable
fairing under the
fuselage, 2 × 20mm
MG151s in wing roots, 2
× 30mm MK108 cannons,
Schräge Musik (oriented
65° above horizontal)

Although the design was rebuffed by the RLM
as being too complex, Heinkel revised it into
the P1060 when Kammhuber wanted a fleet of
dedicated night fighters for his new defence
group. Although the design was again rejected
by Edward Milch, Heinkel continued private

Right: Captured He 219A-7 (D5+CL) WrkN310189
of NJG 3 wearing RAF roundels for evaluation.
The nose was dominated by a collection of
antennae giving the Uhu something of a
fragile appearance. Wings were high-mounted
monoplanes set just aft of the cockpit and
featured a straight leading edge, a polyhedral
trailing edge and slightly-rounded wingtips.

Free download pdf