Editing Heinkel He 112 (section)

==Design and development==
In the early 1930s, the German authorities started placing orders for new aircraft, initially [[Flight training|training]] and [[utility aircraft]]. Heinkel, as one of the most experienced firms in the country, received contracts for a number of two-seat aircraft, including the [[Heinkel He 45|He 45]], [[Heinkel He 46|He 46]], and [[Heinkel He 50|He 50]]. The company also worked on single-seat fighter designs, which culminated in the [[Heinkel He 49|He 49]] and later with the improved [[Heinkel He 51|He 51]].

When the He 51 was tested in combat in the [[Spanish Civil War]], it was shown that speed was far more important than maneuverability. The Luftwaffe took this lesson to heart and started a series of design projects for much more modern aircraft.

In October 1933, [[Hermann Göring]] sent out a letter requesting aircraft companies consider the design of a "high-speed courier aircraft" – a thinly veiled request for a new fighter. Each company was asked to build three [[prototype]]s for run-off testing. By spring 1935, both the Arado and Focke-Wulf aircraft were ready, the BFW arriving in March, and the He 112 in April.

In early May 1934, despite Germany being under a prohibition from the development of new military aircraft, the [[Reichsluftfahrtministerium]] (RLM) issued a request for a new single-seat monoplane fighter under the guise that the proposal was for creating a new 'sports plane'.{{sfn|Wilson|2007|p=100}} The Technisches Amt outlined specifications, for the supply of a new fighter aircraft, those submissions for the competition had to meet certain characteristics, including; a) having an all-metal construction, b) having a [[monoplane]] configuration, c) having retractable landing gear, d) be capable of achieving a top speed of at least {{convert|400|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} at an altitude of {{convert|6000|m|ft|abbr=on}}, e) endure ninety minutes at full throttle at {{convert|6000|m|ft|abbr=on}} f) reach an altitude of {{convert|6000|m|ft|abbr=on}} in seven minutes and have a service ceiling of {{convert|10000|m|ft|abbr=on}} g) be able to be fitted with a [[Junkers Jumo 210]] engine h) be armed with either two 7.92mm fixed machine guns or one 20mm cannon and i) have a wing loading of less than 100&nbsp;kg/m<sup>2</sup>.{{sfn|Mantelli|Brown|Kittel|Graf|2017|p=14}}{{sfn|Forsgren|2017|p=}}

In February 1934 three companies, [[Arado Flugzeugwerke|Arado]], [[Messerschmitt|Bayerische Flugzeugwerke]] (BFW), and [[Heinkel]] were awarded contracts to develop prototypes for the competition, with a fourth company, [[Focke-Wulf]], being awarded the contract more than six months later in September 1934. The prototypes that were eventually submitted for the competition were the [[Arado Ar 80]], [[Focke-Wulf Fw 159]], Heinkel He 112, and [[Messerschmitt Bf 109]].{{sfn|Forsgren|2017|p=}} Heinkel had begun development of its submission in late 1933 in anticipation of the announcement. At the helm of its design project were the Günter brothers, Siegfried and Walter, designers of the [[Heinkel He 111|He 111]], who were then working on the design for the He 112. The first prototype had its first flight in September 1935.{{sfn|Wilson|2007|p=100}}

===Heinkel's design===

Heinkel's design was created primarily by twin brothers Walter and Siegfried Günter, whose designs would dominate most of Heinkel's work. They started work on ''Projekt'' 1015 in late 1933 under the guise of the original courier aircraft, based around the [[BMW XV]] [[Inline engine (aeronautics)|inline engine]]. Work was already underway when the official request went out on 2 May, and on 5 May the design was renamed the He 112.

The primary source of inspiration for the He 112 was their earlier [[Heinkel He 70|He 70]] ''Blitz'' ("Lightning") design. The ''Blitz'' was a single-engine, four-passenger aircraft originally designed for use by [[Deutsche Luft Hansa|Lufthansa]], and it, in turn, was inspired by the famous [[Lockheed Model 9 Orion]] [[mail plane]]. Like many civilian designs of the time, the aircraft was pressed into military service and was used as a two-seat [[bomber]] (although mostly for [[Aerial reconnaissance|reconnaissance]]) and served in this role in Spain. The ''Blitz'' introduced a number of new construction techniques to the Heinkel company; it was its first low-wing monoplane, its first with retractable [[landing gear]], its first all-metal [[Monocoque#Aircraft|monocoque]] design and its [[Elliptical wing|elliptical]], reverse-[[gull wing]] would be seen on a number of later projects. The ''Blitz'' could almost meet the new fighter requirements itself, so it is not surprising that the Günters would choose to work with the existing design as much as possible.

Ernst Heinkel's He 112 submission was a scaled-down version of the He 70, a fast mail plane, sharing numerous features with it including an all-metal construction – including its oval cross-section fuselage and two [[Spar (aviation)|spar]] monoplane wings which were covered with flush-head rivets and stressed metal skin-, similar inverted semi-elliptical gull wings and retractable landing gear.{{sfn|Lepage|2009|p=214}}{{sfn|Jackson|2015|p=16}} The wide track of the undercarriage, a result of having outward retraction from the low point of the wing's gull-bend{{citation needed|reason=not in given source|date=October 2017}}, gave the aircraft excellent ground handling for take-off and landing.{{sfn|Jackson|2015|p=16}} The open [[cockpit]] and fuselage spine behind the headrest mounted into the deep-section fuselage offered the pilot a good view when taxiing and were included to provide excellent vision and make [[biplane]]-trained pilots feel more comfortable.{{citation needed|reason=not in given source|date=October 2017}}

===Prototypes===

The first [[prototype]], V1, was completed on 1 September 1935.{{sfn|Wilson|2007|p=214}} Specifications of the Technisches Amt required that the competing aircraft be fitted with the [[Junkers Jumo 210]], however, as the engine was unavailable,{{sfn|Mantelli|Brown|Kittel|Graf|2017|pp=14 & 59}} a {{convert|518|kW|Hp|abbr=on}} [[Rolls-Royce Kestrel]] V was fitted instead.{{sfn|Forsgren|2017|p=}} The V1 prototype of the Heinkel had comparatively large wings and was heavier than its contemporaries, however, due to the wing size, the mass was more evenly spread out resulting in lower wing loading. The upshot of this was that the aircraft had better turn performance; the down shot was that it generated more drag than expected and had a slowed roll rate.{{sfn|Owen|2015|p=1 c.7}}{{sfn|Forsgren|2017|p=}}

The second prototype, V2, was completed in November. It was powered by a {{convert|480|kW|Hp|abbr=on}} Jumo 210C engine and fitted with a three-blade propeller but was otherwise identical to the V1. Meanwhile, the data from the V1 factory flights was studied to discover where the unexpected drag was coming from. The Günter brothers identified the large, thick wing as the main culprit, and designed an entirely new smaller, and thinner wing with an elliptical planform. As a stop-gap measure, the V2 had its wings clipped by {{convert|1.010|m|ftin|abbr=on}} to allow it to compete with the 109.{{sfn|''Air International''|1989a|p=232}} This made the He 112 creep over the [[wing loading]] requirements in the specifications, but with the 109 way over the limit, this was not seen as a problem, and the V2 was sent off for testing.{{citation needed|reason=no source given|date=October 2017}} The V2, like its predecessor, had problems with spin stability and eventually crashed and was destroyed when test pilot Gerhard Nitschke bailed from the aircraft after losing control during a set of spin tests.{{sfn|Owen|2015|p=1 c.7}}

The V3 took to the air in January. Largely similar to the V2 and powered with the same engine, the V3 had minor changes including having a larger [[Radiator (engine cooling)|radiator]], fuselage spine, and [[vertical stabilizer]], having a single cover over the exhaust ports instead of the more common "stack", and also including modifications to allow armament to be installed in the [[cowling]].{{sfn|''Air International''|1989a|p=233}} The V3 was the first prototype fitted with armament in the form of two {{convert|7.92|mm|in|abbr=on}} MG17 machine guns.{{sfn|Jackson|2015|p=16}} It was later modified once more to include a sliding canopy and a new fully elliptical wing.{{sfn|Jackson|2015|p=16}} It was expected to join the V2 in testing but instead was assigned back to Heinkel in early 1937 for tests with rocket propulsion. During a test, the rocket exploded and the aircraft was destroyed, but in an amazing effort, the V3 was rebuilt with several changes, including an enclosed cockpit.{{citation needed|reason=no source cited|date=October 2017}}

===The contest===
Trials of the competing aircraft for the RLM began at Reichlin in October 1935. The thick high-lift aerofoil and open cockpit of the He 112 generated more drag than the Bf 109, causing its performance to suffer despite being equipped with an identical engine. The Bf 109 prototype was able reach a top speed of {{cvt|467|km/h}} but the He 112 slower at {{cvt|440|km/h}}{{sfn|Forsyth|2012|p=Chapter 4}}{{sfn|Owen|2015|p=1 c.7}}). The He 112 had better ground handling and wingloading. The other two competing aircraft, the Arado Ar 80 and the parasol wing Focke-Wulf Fw 159, had problems and performed badly compared to the Bf 109 and the He 112; they were eliminated from any serious consideration.{{sfn|Forsyth|2012|p=}}{{sfn|Wilson|2007|p=100}} At the end of the trials, the aircraft were judged similar enough that both Messerschmitt and Heinkel were awarded contracts to produce ten prototypes for further testing and competitive trials.{{sfn|Forsyth|2012|p=Chapter 4}}{{sfn|Owen|2015|p=1 c.7}}

At this point, the He 112 was the favorite over the Bf 109, but opinions changed when the Bf 109 V2 arrived on 21 March. All the competitor aircraft had initially been equipped with the [[Rolls-Royce Kestrel]] engine due to the lack of the intended Jumo, but the Bf 109 V2 had the Jumo. From that point on, it started to outperform the He 112 in almost every way, including the Jumo-engined He 112 V2 from 15 April.

The He 112 had better turn performance due to its larger wing, but the Bf 109 was faster at all altitudes and had considerably better agility and aerobatic abilities. During spin tests on 2 March, the Bf 109 V2 showed no problems while the He 112 V2 crashed. Repairs were made to the aircraft and it was returned in April, but it crashed again and was written off. The V1 was then returned to Heinkel on 17 April and fitted with the V2's clipped wings.{{Citation needed|reason=cite needed for V2 crashing twice & V1 then being fitted with wings of V1|date=October 2009}}

Meanwhile, news came in that [[Supermarine]] had received a contract for full-scale production of the [[Supermarine Spitfire|Spitfire]]. The Spitfire was far more advanced than any existing German aircraft and this caused a wave of concern in the high command of the ''Luftwaffe''. Time now took on as much importance as any quality of the winning aircraft itself, and the RLM was ready to put any reasonable design into production. That design was the Bf 109, which in addition to demonstrating better performance, was considerably easier to build due to fewer compound curves and simpler construction throughout. On 12 March RLM produced a document called ''Bf 109 Priority Procurement'' which indicated which aircraft was now preferred. There were some within the RLM who still favored the Heinkel design, and as a result the RLM then sent out contracts for 10 "zero series" aircraft from both companies.{{sfn|''Air International''|1989a|p=233}}{{sfn|Smith|Kay|1972|p=261}}

Testing continued until October, at which point some of the additional zero series aircraft had arrived. At the end of September, there were four He 112s being tested, yet none was a match for the Bf 109. From October on, the Bf 109 appears to have been selected as the winner of the contest. Although no clear date is given, in ''Stormy Life'' [[Ernst Udet]] himself delivered the news to Heinkel that the Bf 109 had entered series production in 1936. He is quoted as saying, "Pawn your crate off on the Turks or the Japanese or the Romanians. They'll lap it up." With a number of air forces looking to upgrade from biplanes and various designs from the early 1930s, the possibility for foreign sales was promising.