Henschel Hs 121

Advanced Fighter Trainer Prototype Aircraft

Nazi Germany | 1934

"The Henschel Hs 121 - the first aircraft offering by the company - failed to impress German authorities heading into the World War 2 period."

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Henschel Hs 121 Advanced Fighter Trainer Prototype Aircraft.

1 x Argus As 10C 8-cylinder inverted air-cooled inline piston engine developing 240 horsepower and driving a multi-bladed propeller unit at the nose.
Propulsion

173 mph
278 kph | 150 kts
Max Speed

21,325 ft
6,500 m | 4 miles
Service Ceiling

345 miles
556 km | 300 nm
Operational Range

1,640 ft/min
500 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Henschel Hs 121 Advanced Fighter Trainer Prototype Aircraft.

1
(MANNED)
Crew

24.0 ft
7.30 m
O/A Length

32.8 ft
(10.00 m)
O/A Width

9.2 ft
(2.80 m)
O/A Height

1,676 lb
(760 kg)
Empty Weight

2,116 lb
(960 kg)
MTOW

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Henschel Hs 121 family line.

Hs 121 - Base Series Designation

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 01/16/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Henschel Flugzeugwerke A.G. (est. 1933) of Germany had its first aircraft in the Hs 121 of 1934. This design utilized braced high-wing mainplanes as well as an open-air cockpit (seating for one) and featured a fixed undercarriage with spatted wheels. The type was developed to serve as an advanced fighter trainer for the new, and growing, German Luftwaffe but the design was not adopted by the service nor any foreign buyers. Nevertheless, the introduction of this machine gave Henschel its first aircraft ever and paved the way for more designs that followed into World War 2 (1939-1945).

The Hs 121 was a product of its time - relying on proven aircraft qualities while also making the shift to more modern characteristics such as all-metal construction. This Henschel aircraft design was, indeed, comprised largely of metal save for some surfaces being skinned in fabric. A propeller was set within the nose-mounted spinner and this was driven by way of an Argus As 10C series inverted inline pistol engine of 240 horsepower output. The pilot sat aft of the wing mainplane arrangement which, coupled with the long nose of the aircraft, restricted views.

Performance included a maximum speed of 173 miles per hour with a cruising speed nearing 155 miles per hour. The aircraft could manage a service ceiling up to 21,320 feet with a rate-of-climb of 1,640 feet per minute. In-flight endurance was around two hours.

A test article was constructed for presentation to Luftwaffe authorities and this first flew on January 4th, 1934. However, it did not have many qualities to recommend itself and the product was further doomed by poor flight characteristics for an advanced fighter trainer - leaving only a sole example built.

Henschel found more success with their Hs 126 of 1937 which ended as one of the Luftwaffe's most effective short-ranged reconnaissance-minded platforms of World War 2 during the early-going.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Henschel Hs 121. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 1 Units
Contractor(s): Henschel Flugzeugwerke A.G. - Nazi Germany

[ Nazi Germany (not adopted) ]

1 / 1

Image from the Public Domain.

Going Further...
The Henschel Hs 121 Advanced Fighter Trainer Prototype Aircraft appears in the following collections:

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