Germany's Heinkel He 115 floatplane, torpedo bomber, minelayer

Photos

Heinkel He 115 floatplane, torpedo bomber, minelayer:


Heinkel He 115 floatplane, torpedo bomber, minelayer:

Heinkel He 115 K2 floatplane, minelayer, reconnaissance:

Aeronautics Aircraft Spotters' Handbook

Heinkel He 115 K2 floatplane, minelayer, reconnaissance:

Aeronautics Aircraft Spotters' Handbook

Heinkel He 115 floatplane, torpedo bomber, minelayer:

Design

The Heinkel He 115 was designed to be a general purpose coastal aircraft.¹ The He 115's main duty was to be a torpedo bomber, but it was found that the He 115 was too slow and hard to handle.³ It became a successful and well liked reconnaissance and mine laying aircraft.³

The He 115 was an all metal mid wing aircraft.³

Prototype

The He 115 prototype first flew in October 1936.^1,3 It had two BMW 132K radial engines (960 HP).¹

Production

Initial construction went from 1938 to 1942.^1,2 For a time it was stopped but was restarted in 1943.^1,2,3

• Heinkel He 115A-1:
  • Production: 1938 - ?¹
• Heinkel He 115B-1 delivered in 1939.¹
• Heinkel He 115C:
  • Production:1940 - ?²
• Heinkel He 115E-1:
  • Production: 1943 - ?^1,2
• Total: ~350², ~500¹
  • Manufacturer: Ernst Heinkel A.G.³

Variants

• Heinkel He 115V1: Prototype.²
• Heinkel He 115A-0: Pre production.²
• Heinkel He 115A-1: Had one 7.92 mm MG in the nose and one 7.92 mm MG in the rear of the cockpit.¹
• Heinkel He 115A-2: For export.²
• Heinkel He 115A-3: Had a new bomb bay and radio eqiupment.¹
• Heinkel He 115B: Could carry more fuel.² Structure was stronger.² First to be able to carry a magnetic mine.²
• Heinkel He 115B-1: Had additional fuel capacity.¹
• Heinkel He 115B-2: Had stronger floats.¹
• Heinkel He 115C: More powerful engines.² More defensive armament.²
• Heinkel He 115C-1: Had forward firing 20 mm MG 151.¹ Five 7.7 mm MG 15 and MG 17 machine guns.¹
• Heinkel He 115C-2: Had the same reinforced floats as the He 115B-2.¹
• Heinkel He 115C-3: Minelayer.¹
• Heinkel He 115C-4: Torpedo bomber.¹
• Heinkel He 115D: Had four crewmen.¹ Used BMW 801 radial engine (1,600 HP).²
• Heinkel He 115E-1: Had two 7.92 mm machine guns in the nose and rear.¹
• Heinkel He 115K2:

Usage

Britain, Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Norway (15), and Sweden (10) used the He 115.²

Speed Records

The He 115V1 prototype was able to set eight speed records for its class in 1938/ March 20, 1938³.² The He 115's average speed over the course was 200 mph.³

First Usage

In 1938 He 115A-1s joined the Luftwaffe.¹

Mine laying in English waters

The Kustenfliegergruppen 106, 506, and 906 were equipped with the He 115B-2 and were used to mine English waters.¹

Battling the Convoys

During 1942 the KuFlGr 406 was used to attack the North Cape PQ convoys.¹

Britain's Use

The British used He 115s that were originally used by Norway.² These were two He 115A-2s and a He 115B-1.²

Specifications