The Heinkel He 74 was a light fighter aircraft developed in Germany in the early 1930s. It was a conventional, single-bay biplane with staggered, unequal-span wings braced with an I-type interplane strut. The pilot sat in an open cockpit, and the undercarriage was of the fixed, tailskid type. It was designed in response to a RLM requirement for a Heimatschutzjäger - a light fighter aircraft suitable for purely defensive duties and which would have a secondary role as an advanced trainer for fighter pilots. Although it was not strictly a requirement of the specification, firms submitting designs were urged to use a monoplane layout. During trials in 1934, the He 74 outperformed its competitors, but in the end, the RLM awarded it third place, behind the Focke-Wulf Fw 56 and Arado Ar 76, believing that since the fighters then being developed were all monoplanes, this configuration was essential for an advanced trainer as well.
== Specifications == Data from Warplanes of the Third ReichGeneral characteristics Crew: One pilot Length: 6.45 m (21 ft 2 in) Wingspan: 8.15 m (26 ft 8.75 in) Height: 2.20 m (7 ft 2.5 in) Wing area: 14.9 m2 (160.6 sq ft) Empty weight: 771 kg (1,697 lb) Gross weight: 1,019 kg (2,242 lb) Powerplant: 1 × Argus As 10C , 180 kW (240 hp) Performance
Maximum speed: 280 km/h (174 mph, 151 kn) Cruise speed: 235 km/h (146 mph, 127 kn) Range: 370 km (230 mi, 200 nmi) Service ceiling: 4,800 m (15,750 ft) Rate of climb: 6.4 m/s (1,262 ft/min) Armament
1 × fixed, forward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine gun
References
Green, William (1972). Warplanes of the Third Reich. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-05782-2. Nowarra, Heinz J. (1977). Die deutsche Luftrüstung 1933-1945. Bonn: Bernard & Graefe. pp. Teil 2, p.184. Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 502.
External links
Luftwaffe Resource Centre He.74 (Russian)