# Heinkel He 280



## johnbr (Sep 2, 2017)

View attachment 382019


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## johnbr (Sep 2, 2017)

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Posted November 30, 2014 (edited)
*Heinkel He-280*

_The first jet fighter_








I have looked countless times through the forums for threads talking about this aircraft to find little discussion about it. This aircraft would be a good, if not at least interesting addition to War Thunder as it was the first Jet Fighter ever to be produced and is the conversation topic of a few "what-ifs" in terms of the outcome of World War 2. This plane would be a nice addition to the line leading to the Me-262 as they share some-what similar features, much more then the current aircraft present there, the Me-163 Komet or even before the He-162 as they were both designed by Heinkel










In 1939, Ernst Heinkel began the jet age with the first successful flight of the He-178. Flown by Erich Warsitz, the He-178 was powered by a turbojet engine designed by Hans von Ohain. Long interested in high-speed flight, Heinkel presented the He-178 to the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (Reich Air Ministry, RLM) for further evaluation. Demonstrating the aircraft for RLM leaders Ernst Udet and Erhard Milch, Heinkel was disappointed when neither showed much interest. Little support could be found from RLM's superiors such as Hermann Goring who preferred to endorse piston-engine fighters for proven design.



The Heinkel He-280 first flew under its own power on March 30, 1941, flown by test pilot Fritz Schafer. Powered by two Hes 8 turbojet engines the plane was presented to Ernst Udet but like its predecessor it failed to gain support.



The HeS 8A turbojet engines generated around 6.6kN of thrust (compared to the Jumo-004 8.8kN) and early test-flights were done without the engine cowlings on as the troublesome engines tended to leak fuel while in use. 








In another attempt to gain support from RLM, Heinkel organized a competitive flight between the He-280 and an Fw-190, flying an oval course the He-280 finished four laps before the Focke-Wulf aircraft had finished three, but still with no success in impressing Milch and Udet. In one final attempt to show RLM the potential of their aircraft, on December 22, 1942 a mock dogfight between the He-280 and an Fw-190 was organized, as expected the He-280 easily defeated the Fw-190 while also showing excellent speed and maneuverability. Finally interested in the He-280 RLM ordered 20 test aircraft as well as a follow-on order of 300 production aircraft.



As development continued, problems continued to plague the HeS 8 jet engines, so the decision was made to abandon the engine in favor of the advanced HeS 011. This caused major delays in the development and Heinkel was forced to accept that the He-280 would have to be powered by another companies engines. After assessing both the BMW-003 and the Jumo-004, Heinkel decided to use the Junkers Jumo-004. Much larger and heavier then the Heinkel engines the Junker engines _drastically _hindered the performance of the aircraft, first flying with the engines on March 16, 1943.





With the reduced performance caused by the use of the Jumo engines, the He 280 was at a severe disadvantage to its primary competitor, the Messerschmitt Me 262. Several days later, on March 27, Milch ordered Heinkel to cancel the He 280 program and focus on bomber design and production. Angered by RLM's treatment of the He 280, Ernst Heinkel remained bitter about the project until his death in 1958. Only nine He 280s were ever built.





*Had Udet and Milch seized upon the He 280's potential in 1941, the aircraft would have been in frontline service more than a year earlier than the Me 262. Equipped with three 30mm cannon and capable of 512 mph, the He 280 would have provided a bridge between the Fw 190 and Me 262, as well as permitted the Luftwaffe to maintain air superiority over Europe at a time when the Allies would have lacked a comparable aircraft. While engine issues plagued the He 280, this was a constant issue with early jet engine design in Germany.*

before and during World War 2 there were only ever nine He-280 prototypes built and only plans for production aircraft.

*V1*

After its first unpowered flights the He 280 V1 was finally given engines early in 1941. It made its maiden powered flight on March 30, using two HeS 8A engines. The V1 was then used to test the Argus 109-014 pulse-jet. It was equipped with four of these engines, and on 13 January 1943 was towed to altitude by a pair of Messerschmitt Bf 110s, before being released. This was to be a short-lived experiment, for during the first flight the aircraft iced up, and the Argus test pilot Schenk had to make the first ever use of an ejector seat in flight to escape from the aircraft. 

*V2*

The He 280 V2 made its first flights during 1941 with two prototype HeS 8 engines. Over the next two years the power provided by these engines rose from 500kg to 720kg of thrust, but higher powered engines were still needed, and in April 1943 the V2 was given a pair of Junkers Jumo 109-004 engines. Its maiden flight with the new engines came on 16 March 1943, but the aircraft was destroyed during landing on 26 June 1943.

*V3*

The V3 made its maiden flight on 5 July 1943, originally powered by the He S8A engine. It made at least fifteen flights during 1942. There were plans to equip the V3 with Jumo-004 engines as well as 3 x 20mm MG-151 cannons but because of a crash landing in February 1943 this never took place.

*V4*

The V4 was equipped with a pair of Jumo-004 engines with plans to upgrade the aircraft even further. Introducing larger fuel tanks and an upgraded weapon system of either 3 x 20mm MG 151 cannons and 2 x MG 131 machine guns or 2 x MG 151 cannons, 1 x MK 108 cannon, and two MG 131 machine guns.

*V5*

The V5 was originally powered by HeS 8 engines, before being given a pair of BMW 109-003s. It was later used in armament trials, and possibly in the mock dog-fight against the Fw 190. Was later fitted with 3 x 20mm MG-151 cannons

*V6*

The V6 was powered by the BMW 109-003 engine. Fitted with 3 x 20mm MG-151 cannons

*V7*

The V7 was originally flown in April 1943, when it was powered by the Junkers Jumo 109-004. It was then taken to Ainring, Bavaria, where it was used for aerodynamic trails. The engines were removed, and experimental equipment added. The aircraft would be towed to height by a Heinkel He 111H-6 and then released. It was able to reach very high speed in fives, peaking at 578mph. At least 100 test flights were made between August 1944 and early 1945. Some of the experiments were made in an attempt to solve some of the problems of high speed flight. Was tested with a 'vee' tail as no Me-262s were available for such testing.

*V8*

The V8 was planned to be equipped with BMW-003 engines, however it made its maiden flight on 30 June 1943, powered by two Junkers Jumo 109-004 engines instead. It was then given the new 'vee' shaped tail that was to be featured in the He P.1073. The V8 was inspected by the Technical Service at the German Institute of Gliding on October 5, 1944 and had most of its instruments and installations removed.

*V9 *

The V9 was a test-bed for the BMW 109-003, and made its maiden flight on 31 August 1943.



*A-1*

The He 280A-1 was the first design for a production version of the aircraft. It was to have been powered by Heinkel engines, and armed with three forward firing MG 151/20 cannons. The A-1 didn't carry enough fuel, limiting its range, and so Heinkel produced the B-1 design.

*B-1*

In an attempt to solve the fuel problems the He 280B-1 was to have been 2ft 7in longer than the A-1 and prototype aircraft. It would have been powered by the Jumo 004 engine, and armed with 20mm or 30mm cannon - some sources say three cannon, while others go as high as six. Despite these changes the He 280B-1 was not accepted for production.








*Specifications:*

*Span: *40ft (12.2m)

*Length:* 34ft 1.5in (10.4m)

*Height:* 10ft .5in (3.06m)

*Wing Area:* 231 sq ft (21.5 sq m)

*Empty Weight:* 7,073 lb (3,217 kg)

*Loaded Weight:* 9,482 lb (4,270 kg)

*Powerplant: *2 x HeS 8A turbojet engines generating 6.6kN of thrust _or _2 x BMW 003 turbojet engines generating 7.8 kN of thrust _or_ 2 x Jumo 004 turbojet engines generating 8.8kN of thrust _or _2-6 x As 014 pulsejet engines generating 2.7kN of thrust each _or _2 x HeS 011 turbojet engines generating 12.01kN of thrust

*Maximum Speed: *559mph (900kmh)

*Climb Rate:* 3,755 ft/min (1,145 m/min)

*Range: *404 miles (650 km)

*Ceiling: *37,730ft (11,500m)

*Armament: Installed:* 3 x MG 151/20 cannons, *Proposed:* 6 x MG 151/20 cannons *or* 3 x MK 108 cannons *or* 3 x MG 151/20 cannons and 2 x MG 131 machine guns *or* 2 x MG 151/20 cannons, 1 x MK 108 cannon and 2 x MG 131 machine gun


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## Wurger (Sep 2, 2017)




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## johnbr (Sep 2, 2017)

Heinkel He 280b 
Specifications:
He 280A-1 He 280B-1
Engines 2x Heinkel 001A 2x Jumo 004B
Engine thrust 750 kg (1653 lbs) 900 kg (1984 lbs)
Empty Weight 3215 kg (7088 lbs) ?
Maximum Weight 4300 kg (9480 lbs) 5170 kg (11,376 lbs)
Max Speed at sea level 870 kph (540mph) 800 kph (498 mph)
Max Speed at 6000m (19,690 ft)900 kph (559 mph) 880 kph (547 mph)
Max rate of climb 19.1 m/sec (3760 fpm) 24.65 m/sec (4355 fpm)
Range 970 km (603 miles) 718 km (446 miles)
Armament 3x 20mm 6x 20mm
Bombload None 1100 lbs (500 kg)


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## johnbr (Sep 2, 2017)

_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grjHZQQQzkE_


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## Wurger (Sep 2, 2017)




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## Old Wizard (Sep 2, 2017)




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## johnbr (Aug 19, 2018)




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## Wurger (Aug 20, 2018)




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## Gnomey (Aug 20, 2018)

Good shots guys!


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## johnbr (Sep 19, 2018)

View attachment 510085
View attachment 510084
View attachment 510082


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## johnbr (Sep 19, 2018)

The engine he-8

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## Tieleader (Sep 19, 2018)

Another case of who you know, not what you know...
BTW great pixs!


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## johnbr (Sep 19, 2018)

*Heinkel He 280 V2*


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## wuzak (Sep 19, 2018)

johnbr said:


> The engine he-8
> View attachment 510088
> View attachment 510089



Unique at the time for having both a centrifugal compressor and a radial turbine.

Whittle used a centrifugal compressor in combination with an axial turbine, as did Halford with the Halford H.1/de Havilland Goblin.


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## johnbr (Sep 19, 2018)

Not the 280 but did not no where to put it.


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## johnbr (Sep 20, 2018)

View attachment 510099
View attachment 510100

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## Wurger (Sep 20, 2018)




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## johnbr (Oct 7, 2018)




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## Wurger (Oct 7, 2018)




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## GrauGeist (Oct 7, 2018)

johnbr said:


> Not the 280 but did not no where to put it.


Heinkel He176 V1, world's first manned rocket powered aircraft...taking flight before the Me163 by two years.


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## Crimea_River (Oct 7, 2018)

Not to be the police but I have yet to see any of these pics properly sourced. Lots of unique stuff here......


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## johnbr (Oct 28, 2018)



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## Gnomey (Nov 6, 2018)

Good stuff!


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## johnbr (Jan 22, 2019)

heinkel he 280 v7 d-iexm at r-45 near anspach germany aug45

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## Gnomey (Jan 27, 2019)

Good shots!


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## johnbr (May 21, 2019)




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## johnbr (Sep 10, 2019)

Heinkel He 280 by p40kittyhawk on DeviantArt Argus As 104 pulsejet Archives - This Day in Aviation 
*B-1*
In an attempt to solve the fuel problems the He 280B-1 was to have been 2ft 7in longer than the A-1 and prototype aircraft. It would have been powered by the BMW 003 engine, and armed with 20mm or 30mm cannon - some sources say three cannon, while others go as high as six. Despite these changes the He 280B-1 was not accepted for production.


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## johnbr (Sep 10, 2019)

*Statistics (V5)*
Engine: Two Heinkel HeS 8A turbojets
Power: 1,650lb static thrust each
Crew: 1
Wing span: 40ft
Length: 34ft 1 ½ in
Height: 10ft 0 ½ in
Empty weight: 7,073lb
Loaded weight: 9,482lb
Max Speed: 559mph for 30 seconds, 510mph maintained speed
Service Ceiling: 37,720ft (estimated)
Range: 404 miles at 19,680ft
Armament: Three MG 151 20m cannon


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## johnbr (Sep 10, 2019)

Heinkel He 280 Prototypes & Projects


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## johnbr (Sep 10, 2019)

ju-008b vs hes8a


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## johnbr (Jan 4, 2021)

Captured Aircraft


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