Heinkel He 51 Fighter / Floatplane / Ground Attack Aircraft - History, Specs and Pictures

Authored By Staff Writer | Last Updated: 7/6/2010

The Heinkel He 51 series was part of Germany's rebuilding program, providing priceless combat experience for Luftwaffe pilots in the Spanish Civil War.

Follow Military Factory on Facebook:

Trending on Military Factory:

Compare Aircraft
You Know You Want To

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles of the World Listing

UAVs
Eyes in the Skies

Top 10 Fighters
The Best of the Best

World War 2 Aircraft
Age of the Metal Monoplane

World War 1 Aircraft
Of Canvas and Wood

Vietnam War Aircraft
Last of the Gunfighters

Korean War Aircraft
Dance of the Jets

Recent Articles:

The EX 41 from Naval Ordnance Station Louisville became an abandoned multi-shot grenade launcher project

Whether known as the Blooper, Bloop Tube, Thumper or Thump-Gun, the M79 grenade launcher proved its worth

Temporarily unable to net itself F-16s or F-20s, Taiwan moved on to develop its own F-CK-1 "Ching-Kuo" fighter

When losses to IEDs started to mount, the US military turned to such MRAPs as the Navistar MaxxPro

A post-war rebuilding France adopted the Fusil Mitrailleur Modele 49 self-loading, semi-automatic service rifle

Some 80 nations have adopted the excellent Fabrique Nationale FN MAG General Purpose Machine Gun

The Kulsprutegevar KG m/21 was nothing more than the American BAR modified to suit Swedish Army tastes

Under threat from invasion during World War 2, the Swedes adopted the gas-operated Automatgevar m/42 rifle

The He 51 was a product of the German Heinkel firm and a design of the Gunter twins, Walter and Siegfried. The Gunters became part of the Heinkel firm in 1931 and made the He 49 their first product with the company. The He 49 was a biplane aircraft developed as a fighter, sporting a pair of machine guns, and developed into three major prototype forms. It was these prototype designs that eventually developed into the He 51a prototype and, ultimately, the He 51 production models.

The He 51a differed from the previous He 49 forms in that it was given a new tail fin, wings, undercarriage and radiator. The He 51 itself would become a successful German fighter in World War 2, becoming a serviceable floatplane derivative and light ground attack platform as well. Despite the limitations imposed on German war machine development following the close of World War 1, the He 51 was none-the-less pursued under the guise of it being an advanced trainer. In many ways, the He 51 was part of the "new-look" German military soon to be unleashed on an unsuspecting world.

The He 51 was given uneven-span biplane wings (also known as "sesquiplane") with the upper span longer (and situated forward) than the lower span. Each wing had a single bay with parallel struts angled forward (in profile) and outward with applicable bracing cables. The engine was positioned at the extreme forward of the contoured fuselage and consisted of a liquid-cooled inline engine powering a two-bladed propeller. The pilot sat directly behind and under the upper wing element in an open-air cockpit protected by a forward windscreen. The empennage was conventional with a rounded vertical tail fin and mid-mounted elevators. The undercarriage was fixed and featured two main landing gears faired over and a tail wheel at rear, also faired over. The seaplane version of the He 51 was very similar in design with the most notable exception being the large pontoon floats affixed in place of the landing gears. Armament consisted of 2 x MG 17 machine guns mounted over the engine, synchronized to fire through the revolving propeller blades, with 500 rounds reserved to a gun. For the light strike roles inherent in the C-models, up to six 22lb bombs could be carried.

The Heinkel He 51 was produced in a handful of variants but represented in only three major production models. The four prototypes represented the aircraft initially beginning with the He 49a featuring a short fuselage, the He 49b with a lengthened fuselage, the He 49c with a revised glycol-cooled engine and the He 51a with its revised vertical tail fin and wings, a new undercarriage and new radiator. The He 51a prototype led to the first nine pre-preproduction aircraft under the He 51A-0 designation. This was followed by the first production-rate examples in the 150 He 51A-1's.

The He 51B-0 appeared as another dozen pre-production examples that saw reinforcement of their structure. The production version became the He 51B-1 of which only another 12 were produced. The He 51B-2 was a floatplane variant to which 46 were produced in total. The He 51B-3 was a dedicated high-altitude version.

The He 51B-1 was powered by a single BMW VI series 7,3Z liquid-cooled V12 engine with an output of 750 horsepower. This allowed for a maximum speed of up to 205 miles per hour with a cruise speed of 174 miles per hour. Range was limited to 354 miles with a respectable service ceiling of 25,256 feet.

The He 51C-1 was the first dedicated light ground attack model. At least 79 of these were delivered to Spain to fight with the Legion Kondor (Germany's "Condor Legion") in Spain's civil war in favor of the Nationalist forces. The He 51C-2 was nothing more than an improved version of the He 51C-1. These fitted improved radio equipment. Twenty-one examples of this type were produced.

In all, some 700 examples represented the He 51 series in slightly varied forms. Operators included the German Luftwaffe, the Spanish State and Bulgaria. Bulgaria received twelve He 51's from Germany.

He 51's were first used in anger in the Spanish Civil War. In many ways, Germany used this battleground to field test a variety of items including aircraft, vehicles and tactics. Six He 51 systems were delivered to the battlefront on August 6, 1936, and quickly proved better systems then their biplane contemporaries. Spanish and German airmen both flew the aircraft in the conflict, the Germans under the Condor Legion banner.

As the war progressed and aircraft technology advanced, the He 51 was just as quickly taken out of the dogfighting fold. Instead, the system was utilized as a ground attack platform with good success, despite losses to more modern monoplane types. Many Spainish He 51's survived the conflict, and the ensuing World War, to be of use through the end of the 1940s. Its limited successes in the Spanish Civil War showcased the limitations of fighters relying on biplane wing arrangements over those with monoplane arrangements. The He 51 was nimble enough thanks to its slower speeds and available wing area but speed was once again at the forefront of dogfighting. Newer systems could simply outrun aircraft like the He 51. This naturally forced the He 51 our of favor against more modern implements though the aircraft did soldier on for the German Luftwaffe as a trainer in the early years of the war. As a front-line fighter, however, the type was dropped from service in 1938. Text ©2003-2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • No Reproduction Permitted
MilitaryFactory.com does NOT sell equipment/weaponry. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information. Our disclaimer. Email corrections / Comments to MilitaryFactory at Gmail dot com.

View All Images (4)

Specifications for the
Heinkel He 51
Fighter / Floatplane / Ground Attack Aircraft

Country of Origin: Nazi Germany
Manufacturer: Heinkel - Germany
Initial Year of Service: 1935
Production: 700

Focus Model: Heinkel He 51A
Crew: 1

Length: 27.56ft (8.4m)
Width: 36.09ft (11.00m)
Height: 10.50ft (3.20m)
Weight (Empty): 3,219lbs (1,460kg)
Weight (MTOW): 9,211lbs (4,178kg)

Powerplant: 1 x BMW VI 12-cylinder liquid-cooled engine developing 750 horsepower.

Maximum Speed: 205mph (330kmh; 178kts)
Maximum Range: 354miles (570km)
Service Ceiling: 25,262ft (7,700m; 4.8miles)
Rate-of-Climb: 350 feet per minute (107m/min)

Hardpoints: 6
Armament Suite:
STANDARD:
2 x 7.92mm MG 17 machine guns in nose

OPTIONAL:
Up to 6 x 22lb bombs

Variants:
He 49a - Initial Prototype Model showcasing a shortened fuselage.

He 49b - Second Prototype Model; revised lengthened fuselage; evaluated as both seaplane and land-based plane.

He 49c - Third Prototype Model; revised engine mount.

He 51a - Fourth Prototype Model; new radiator system; revised vertical tail fin and main wings; redesigned undercarriage.

He 51A-0 - Nine Pre-production Examples; based on He 51a.

He 51A-1 - Initial Full-Rate Production Model; 150 examples produced.

He 51B-0 - Second Pre-production Batch; reinforced understructure; 12 examples produced.

He 51B-1 - Second Production Batch; based on He 51B-0 model; 12 examples produced.

He 51B-2 - Sea-Plane Derivative; dedicated reconnaissance platform; 46 examples produced.

He 51B-3 - High-Altitude Platform

He 51C-1 - Ground Attack Variant

He 51C-2 - Improved He 51C-1 model; new radio equipment;2 1 examples produced.

Operators:
Bulgaria; Nazy Germany; Spain

ALL AIRCRAFT CATEGORIES

BY DECADE:

• 1900 to 1909
• 1910 to 1919
• 1920 to 1929
• 1930 to 1939
• 1940 to 1949
• 1950 to 1959
• 1960 to 1969
• 1970 to 1979
• 1980 to 1989
• 1990 to 1999
• 2000 to 2009
• 2010 to 2019
• 2020 to 2029
• VIEW ALL
• Compare Aircraft

BY TYPE:

• Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW)
• Attack Helicopters
• Bomber Aircraft
• Medium Bombers
• Heavy Bombers
• Close-Air Support (CAS)
• Commercial Aircraft
• Dive Bombers
• Electronic Warfare Aircraft (EWA)
• Experimental / X-Planes
• Fighter Aircraft
• Floatplane Aircraft
• Flying Boat Aircraft
• Aerial Refueling Tankers
• Helicopters (ALL)
• Interceptor Aircraft
• Multi-Role Aircraft
• Navy Carrier Aircraft
• Night Fighters
• Reconnaissance / Scout
• Search & Rescue (SAR)
• Scout Helicopters
• Special Purpose
• Torpedo Bombers
• Trainer Aircraft
• Transport Aircraft
• Transport Helicopters
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
• Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAVs)

COLLECTIONS:

• 4th Generation Fighter Aircraft
• 5th Generation Fighter Aircraft
• US X-Planes
• Classic US Warbirds
• French Military Helicopters
• Grumman "Cats"
• Howard Hughes Aircraft
• Indian Air Force
• Israeli Air Force
• Libyan Aircraft
• Modern Chinese Aircraft
• Modern Chinese Fighters
• Modern Military Aircraft
• Modern North Korean Aircraft
• Modern Trainer Aircraft
• Modern US Aircraft
• Mikoyan Aircraft
• Sukhoi Aircraft
• Syrian Aircraft
• Top 10 Fighter Aircraft of All Time

AIRCRAFT BY CONFLICT:

• Arab-Israeli War (1948)
• Cuban Missile Crisis (1959-1962)
• Falklands War (1982)
• Indo-Pak War (1965, 1971)
• Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)
• Lebanon War (1982)
• Operation Allied Force (1999)
• Operation Desert Storm (1991)
• Six Day War (1967)
• Spanish Civil War (1936)
• Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989)
• Yom Kippur War (1973)

MISCELLANEOUS:

• Aircraft Cockpits
• Aircraft Manufacturers List
• Aircraft Production
• Aircraft Timeline

WORLD WAR 2:

• 1939 Aircraft
• 1940 Aircraft
• 1941 Aircraft
• 1942 Aircraft
• 1943 Aircraft
• 1944 Aircraft
• 1945 Aircraft
• 1946 Aircraft
• Australian Aircraft
• Battle of Britain Aircraft
• Bombers
• Four-Engine Bombers
• British Aircraft
• British Bombers
• British Transports
• Dive Bombers
• Canadian Aircraft
• Fighters
• Chinese Aircraft
• French Aircraft
• German Aircraft
• German Fighters
• German Flying Boats
• German Jets
• Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe
• Italian Aircraft
• Imperial Japanese Aircraft
• Imperial Japanese Fighters
• Mitsubishi Bombers
• Navy Aircraft
• Pearl Harbor
• Polish Aircraft
• Romanian Aircraft
• US Aircraft
• US Bombers
• US Navy Aircraft
• Soviet Aircraft
• Torpedo Bombers
• Trainer Aircraft
• Transport Aircraft
• Tuskegee Airmen Aircraft
• W.A.S.P. Aircraft
• WW2 Aircraft Ranked by Speed
• VIEW ALL

WORLD WAR 1:

• 1914 Aircraft
• 1915 Aircraft
• 1916 Aircraft
• 1917 Aircraft
• 1918 Aircraft
• Aircraft Timeline
• Austro-Hungarian Aircraft
• Bomber Aircraft
• British Aircraft
• Fighters
• Flying Boats
• French Aircraft
• Imperial German Aircraft
• Italian Aircraft
• Scout Aircraft
• Russian Empire Aircraft
• US Aircraft
• WW1 Aircraft Ranked by Speed
• VIEW ALL

KOREAN WAR:

• Australian Aircraft
• Korean War Aces
• Korean War Jets
• North Korean Aircraft
• US Military Aircraft
• VIEW ALL

VIETNAM WAR:

• Helicopters (ALL)
• Transport Helicopters
• North Vietnam Air Force
• US Airpower
• VIEW ALL

COLD WAR:

• 1950s French Aircraft
• British V-Bombers
• Cold War Bombers
• Soviet Aircraft
• Soviet Bombers
• Soviet Interceptors
• Soviet Helicopters
• Strategic Air Command
• US Aircraft
• US Bombers
• US Interceptors
• VIEW ALL

Heinkel He 51 Fighter / Floatplane / Ground Attack Aircraft (1935)

The Heinkel He 51 series was part of Germany's rebuilding program, providing priceless combat experience for Luftwaffe pilots in the Spanish Civil War.