The relatively obscure He 100 was a result of the failure of the He
112, which lost to the Bf 109. The He 100 was more streamlined and had
a higher speed, first flying in early 1939. While it had a somewhat
high wing-loading, it had generally good performance. In the end,
however, only 22 were built (seven prototypes, three pre-production D-0
and twelve production D-1 models).
Most of the He 100 were used for propaganda purposes in photos and
newsreels. All 12 D-1 models were also used as defensive fighters for
the Heinkel factory (although by the time Allied bombers began
targeting it, they had been replaced). Six planes (from the seven
prototypes) were sold to Russia and three (all the D-0 craft) to Japan.
Neither country built copies of the plane, but the He 100 did influence
later designs (the MiG-1 in Russia and the Ki 61 in Japan).
Some have claimed that the He 100 was rejected for political
reasons, or that it was not desired to have two different fighters in
production at the same time. The most likely truth for the He 100 not
entering full-scale production with the Germans, however, was that it
shared the same engine as the Bf 109 and Bf 110, both of which had
priority on it (this would explain why the FW 190, which used a much
different engine than the Bf 109, served along side the Bf 109).
The He 100D-1 uses 44 gallons of aviation fuel per hour at routine usage.
Subassemblies: Medium Fighter chassis +2, Light Fighter Wings
+2, three retractable wheels +0.
P&P: 876-kW aerial HP gasoline engine with 876-kW prop and
96-gallon self-sealing fuel tank [Body].
Occ: 1 CS Cargo: 3 Body
| Armor | F | R/L | B | T | U |
| All | 2/3 | 2/3 | 2/3 | 2/3 | 2/3 |
| Cockpit | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/+30 | 0/0 | 0/+30 |
Weaponry
2¥Aircraft LMG/MG 17 [Wings:F] (500 each)*
20mm Short Aircraft AC/MG FF [Body:F] (60) **
* Link fires both LMGs
** Link fires all guns
Equipment
Body: Medium radio receiver and transmitter, navigation
instruments,
autopilot.
Statistics
| Size: 27'x31'x12' | Payload: 0.49 tons | Lwt: 2.76 tons |
| Volume: 200 vsp | Maint.: 43 hours | Price: $21,500 |
HT: 12
HP: 240 [body], 70 [each wing], 24 [each wheel]
| aSpeed: 416 |
aAccel: 10 |
aDecel: 21 |
aMR: 5.25 | aSR: 2 | |
| Stall: 85 mph |
Design Notes
The historical wing area (156 square feet) has been used, as well as
the historical top speed (design aSpeed was 433 mph). Chasss weight,
cost and HPs were doubled. Loaded weight
was increased 2%.
There is reason to believe that the historical top speed was for one
of the early prototypes, and that an aSpeed of 390 mph (with Fair
streamlining) was more typical of the pre-production aircraft.
The A7 prototype (one of three He 100C's) was the first to be armed,
with four MG 17's in the nose and two MG FF's in the wings.