| He 116 | |
|---|---|
 An He 116B-0 in service with the Luftwaffe | |
| General information | |
| Type | Mail plane / Reconnaissance aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Heinkel |
| Designer | |
| Primary users | Deutsche Lufthansa |
| Number built | 14[1] |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1937–1938 |
| First flight | 9 December 1936 |
The Heinkel He 116 was an extremely long-range mail plane designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Heinkel.
It was designed during the latter half of the 1930s to fulfil a request by the German flag carrier Deutsche Luft Hansa for a suitable aircraft to carry long distance airmail between Germany and Japan. Derived from the He 70, furnished with an all-new semi-monocoque duralumin fuselage and powered by a total of four newly-developed Hirth HM 508C V8 inverted piston engines, the He 116 was designed specifically for this role, specifically the airline's route over the Pamir Mountains in Afghanistan. On 9 December 1936, the prototype performed its maiden flight; further aircraft were produced over the following two years.
A total of eight He 116As were produced for the mail plane role, however, the type was not only used in a civilian capacity. At the behest of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM), a pair of He 116Bs, which were specially adapted for the long-range reconnaissance and bomber missions (including the use of a fully glazed nose similar to the Heinkel He 111) were created. Additionally, a single He 116R, featuring an enlarged wing, increased fuel tankage in the fuselage, and four Hirth HM 508H engines that provided superior fuel economy at lower rpms, was built for a successful record-setting flight, covering an unrefueled distance of 10,000 km (6,200 mi; 5,400 nmi) at an average speed of 214 km/h (133 mph; 116 kn), conducted on 30 June 1938.
- ^ Smith and Kay 1972, p. 276.