Heinkel He 176

He 176
Post war artist impression of the He 176
General information
Type	Experimental
Manufacturer	Heinkel
Status	Cancelled
History
First flight	20 June 1939

The Heinkel He 176 was a German experimental rocket-powered aircraft. It was the world's first aircraft to be propelled solely by a liquid-fueled rocket, making its first powered flight on 20 June 1939 with Erich Warsitz at the controls.

The He 176 was developed as a private venture by the Heinkel company in accordance with director Ernst Heinkel's emphasis on developing technology for high-speed flight. Work on the project began in 1936 after testing with a modified He 72 and a pair of He 112s had shown rocket propulsion to have some viability. The He 176 was purpose-built to harness this propulsion, rather than a modification of existing piston engined-types. The resulting aircraft was relatively compact, was largely composed of wood, and in some respects relatively simplistic. It also incorporated some novel concepts, such as an unconventional reclined seating position for the pilot along with a unique jettisonable nose escape system for emergencies. In December 1937, the He 176 designation was officially assigned to the aircraft.

On 12 September 1939, the He 176 project was ordered to be cancelled, allegedly due to its unimpressive size and performance. However, the aircraft did provide "proof of concept" for rocket propulsion and high speed flight in general; lessons and designs cues were incorporated into subsequent aircraft such as the Heinkel He 280 prototype jet fighter and the Messerschmitt Me 163 rocket interceptor. The prototype itself along with most documentation related to the He 176 were destroyed by the end of the war. Warsitz stated his belief that some material may have entered the Soviet/Russian archives. The often quoted performance data of the aircraft, such as its speed reaching 750 km/h, or 800 km/h, is drawn from Warsitz's account, and are usually not based on sound documents. Only two true pictures of the He 176 have survived which were probably taken in Peenemünde while undergoing testing.^[1]