Henschel Hs 121

Advanced Fighter Trainer Prototype Aircraft [ 1934 ]

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

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 01/16/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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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.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1934

Origin

Nazi Germany

Crew

1

Production

1
UNITS

Henschel Flugzeugwerke A.G. - Nazi Germany

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Nazi Germany (not adopted)

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ X-Plane (Developmental, Prototype, Technology Demonstrator)
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.

✓ Training (General)
Developed ability to be used as a dedicated trainer for student pilots (typically under the supervision of an instructor).

Length

24.0 ft
(7.30 m)

Width/Span

32.8 ft
(10.00 m)

Height

9.2 ft
(2.80 m)

Empty Wgt

1,676 lb
(760 kg)

MTOW

2,116 lb
(960 kg)

Wgt Diff

+441 lb
(+200 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Henschel Hs 121 production variant)

Installed: 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.

Max Speed

173 mph
(278 kph | 150 kts)

Ceiling

21,325 ft
(6,500 m | 4 mi)

Range

345 mi
(556 km | 1,030 nm)

Rate-of-Climb

1,640 ft/min
(500 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Henschel Hs 121 production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

None.

Supported Types

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hs 121 - Base Series Designation

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