The Heinkel He 51 series was part of Germany's rebuilding program, providing priceless combat experience for Luftwaffe pilots in the Spanish Civil War.
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 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.
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(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
✓Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.
✓Ground Attack (Bombing, Strafing)
Ability to conduct aerial bombing of ground targets by way of (but not limited to) guns, bombs, missiles, rockets, and the like.
✓Maritime / Navy
Land-based or shipborne capability for operating over-water in various maritime-related roles while supported by allied naval surface elements.
✓Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.
Length
27.6 ft (8.40 m)
Width/Span
36.1 ft (11.00 m)
Height
10.5 ft (3.20 m)
Empty Wgt
3,219 lb (1,460 kg)
MTOW
9,211 lb (4,178 kg)
Wgt Diff
+5,992 lb (+2,718 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the Heinkel He 51A production variant)
Installed:
1 x BMW VI 12-cylinder liquid-cooled engine developing 750 horsepower.
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Heinkel He 51A 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)
STANDARD:
2 x 7.92mm MG 17 machine guns in nose
OPTIONAL:
Up to 6 x 22lb bombs
Supported Types
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Hardpoint Mountings: 6
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.
Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.
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Bulgaria; Nazy Germany; Spain
