Editing Heinkel He 100 (section)

=== Production series ===
The final evolution of the short He 100 history is the production model. As the name suggests, the design was supposed to be very similar to the pre-production models, the main planned change being to enlarge the [[Tailplane|horizontal stabilizer]]. The big change was the abandonment of the surface cooling system, which proved to be too complex and failure-prone. A larger version of the retractable radiator was installed, and this appeared to cure the problems. The radiator was inserted in a "plug" below the cockpit, widening the wings slightly.

Though the aircraft failed to match its design speed of {{convert|700|km/h|abbr=on}} once it was equipped with weapons, the larger canopy and the radiator, it was still capable of speeds in the {{convert|644|km/h|abbr=on}} range. The He 100 had a combat range of {{convert|900|to|1000|km|abbr=on}} compared to {{convert|600|km|abbr=on}} for the Bf 109 by virtue of its low drag airframe. While not in the same league as the later escort fighters, this was at the time a superb range, which could mean that a production Heinkel 100 might have offset the need for the Bf 110.

Since by this point, however, the war was under way, and as the Luftwaffe would not purchase the aircraft in its current form, the production line was shut down. There were allegations that politics played a role in stopping production of the He 100 {{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}. The remaining 12 He 100 production fighters were used to form Heinkel's Marienehe factory defense unit, flown by factory test pilots. They replaced the earlier He 112s that were used for the same purpose and the 112s were sold. Early in the war, there were no bombers venturing that far into Germany and it appears that the unit never saw action. The fate of these aircraft remains unknown. The aircraft were also used for a [[propaganda]] spoof, as the supposed [[Heinkel He 113]].