Heinkel He 74
# Heinkel He 74

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 Reich

General 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 $m^2$ (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
