Heinkel He 111 Z (Zwilling) Utility Transport (1942)
The large-span, five-engine He 111 Zwilling was specifically designed as a heavy transport powerful enough to tow the large Messerschmitt Me 321 gliders.
A pair of twin-engine He 111 H-6's served as base conversion models for the new Zwilling design. Two He 111 Z prototypes were then constructed, with the He 111 H-6's joined by a center wing chord structure containing a fifth engine, and the response was good when evaluated by pilots at Rechlin. This was then followed by ten production He 111 Z's. The portside fuselage accommodated the pilot, primary mechanic, gunner and a radio operator/navigator while the starboard fuselage held the co-pilot, secondary mechanic and another gunner bringing the total crew count to seven (the co-pilot could double as a navigator if the situation pressed). The pilot was afforded full instrumentation while the co-pilot was allowed a limited collection of gauges. As such there was no real redundancy to the system as one might expect. The pilot was afforded five throttle levers for complete control over the engines. Control for the radiator flaps was divvied up between the port and starboard cockpits with each man having control of the radiator flaps on his own side. Undercarriage control could be handled by either cockpit. Self-defense was accomplished through a variety of machine gun arrangements mostly centering on 7.7mm MG- and/or 13mm MG-series machine guns and 20mm cannons. Armament varied, however, and was primarily dependent on what the "donor" He 111 H-6 brought along with it.
The engine arrangement was made up of Junkers-brand Jumo 211 F-series 12-cylinder, liquid-cooled, inverted Vee engines of up to 1,340 horsepower each. These engines were fitted into five nacelles, three along the center wing chord and two held outboard on either side. Despite this multi-engined layout, the He 111 Z was still in need of help when attempting to pull a fully-loaded Me 321 glider. This was rectified in the use of rockets for additional thrust (as in "RATO" - Rocket Assisted Take-Off) - not a wholly uncommon sight even at the beginning of the jet age. The Zwilling could, however, maintain flight if any or all of the three central wing cord engines failed. Range could be augmented by four external drop tanks.
By the end of the war, only four He 111 Zwillings were known to exist in operational condition despite some 12 total ultimately produced. The unaccounted for Zwillings were reportedly lost to Allied action while either in the air or still grounded. In any case, the Zwilling proved a limited success to an extent, able to ferry about dozens of injured German soldiers while being able to supply the massive Messerschmitt Me 321 gliders with a much-needed glider tug.
Only the H2 111 Z-1 ever saw any level of quantitative production while the proposed Z-2 long-range bomber and Z-3 long-range reconnaissance aircraft never came to fruition - both variants were based on the Z-1 production model. Text ©2003-2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • No Reproduction Permitted
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Specifications for the
Heinkel He 111 Z (Zwilling)
Utility Transport
Country of Origin: Nazi Germany
Manufacturer: Heinkel - Germany
Initial Year of Service: 1942
Production: 12
Focus Model: Heinkel He 111 Z (Zwilling)
Crew: 7 - 9
Length: 54.79ft (16.7m)
Width: 115.49ft (35.20m)
Height: 13.12ft (4.00m)
Weight (Empty): 47,399lbs (21,500kg)
Weight (MTOW): 62,556lbs (28,375kg)
Powerplant: 5 x Junkers Jumo 211F-2 inverted V-12 liquid-cooled engines delivering 1,300hp each.
Maximum Speed: 296mph (477kmh; 258kts)
Maximum Range: 1,174miles (1,890km)
Service Ceiling: 16,010ft (4,880m; 3.0miles)
Rate-of-Climb: 0 feet per minute (0m/min)
Hardpoints: 4
Armament Suite:
Mix of 7.7mm and 13mm machine guns with the occasional 20mm cannon depending on what was kept from the original base aircraft utilized for the conversions.
Variants:
He 111 H-6 - Base Bomber Model on which the "Zwilling" is based on.
He 111 Z - Model Series and Prototype Models Designation; 2 examples produced.
He 111 Z-1 - "Zilling" twin He 111 fuselage model; heavy-lift transport model; 10 examples produced.
He 111 Z-2 - Proposed Long-Range Bomber Variant based on the production Z-1 model; never produced.
He 111 Z-3 - Proposed Long-Range Reconnaissance Variant based on the production Z-1 model; never produced.
Operators: Nazi Germany
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