Editing Heinkel He 219 Uhu (section)

==Surviving aircraft==
[[File:He_219_fully_restored.png|thumb|Heinkel He 219 at the [[Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center]]. 22 May 2021]]

When the [[European Theatre of World War II|war]] had ended in Europe, the U.S. Army Air Forces Intelligence Service, as part of "[[Operation LUSTY]]" (Luftwaffe Secret Technology), took control of three He 219s at the [[Karup Airport|Grove]] base of the 1st Night Fighter Wing (''[[Nachtjagdgeschwader 1]]'') in [[Jutland]], Denmark starting on 16 June 1945. These aircraft were made flight-worthy by [[Operation LUSTY#Watson's "Whizzers"|"Watson's Whizzers"]] and flown to [[Cherbourg, France]]. He 219 A-2 ''Werknummer'' 290202 was shipped to the United States with 21 other captured German aircraft on board the British [[escort carrier]] {{HMS|Reaper|D82|6}}, and was reassembled at Newark Army Air Field, [[Newark, New Jersey]].{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

By August 2014, the wing structure (without control surfaces fitted) had been essentially restored, and was ready for the trip to the NASM's [[Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center]] shops within its integral Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar, to join the fuselage and engine nacelles there, with replacement ''Hirschgeweih'' VHF-band radar antenna components to be fabricated, based on a preserved example located in Europe and loaned to the NASM for replication, as part of the ongoing restoration process.<ref>[http://www.warbirdsnews.com/uncategorized/nasms-heinkel-he-219-restoration-update.html "NASM’s Heinkel He-219 Restoration Update."] ''www.warbirdsnews.com '', 6 August 2014. Retrieved: 29 December 2014.</ref> The repainted wings were displayed during the 30 January 2016 open house in the restoration hangar paint shack.

He 219 A-2 ''Werknummer'' 290202 is currently restored and on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center by Dulles Airport. Previously only the fuselage, [[empennage]], and engines were on display, while the wings were stored at the Paul Garber Facility in Silver Hill, Maryland. As of 2021 the restored and assembled aircraft, including its wings, nacelles (possibly as Heinkel-designed specific, ''[[Kraftei]]'' unitized powerplant installations), and partially restored DB 603 engines (missing propellers) can be seen displayed next the museum's [[Arado Ar 234]] and [[Dornier Do 335]], the only surviving examples of those aircraft, both of which accompanied WkNr. 290202 across the Atlantic over 60 years ago.<ref>[http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=A19600322000 "Heinkel He 219 A-2/R4 Uhu (Eagle Owl)."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502100117/http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=A19600322000 |date=2 May 2012 }} ''Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.'' Retrieved: 25 April 2012.</ref>

In April 2012, a previously unknown He 219 was salvaged from the sea bed, 100 meters from the beach, north of [[Hirtshals]], Denmark. The remains are in several pieces, but will undergo restoration and eventually be displayed at [[Aalborg]], Denmark. Although severely damaged and missing many parts, the remains of this aircraft was preserved and then put on display at the Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum in Aalborg, Denmark. In August 2015 it was announced that the wreckage had been sold to an Austrian enthusiast for further restoration.<ref>Christensen, Abildgaard. [http://www.tv2nord.dk/artikel/203637:Regionale-nyheder--Sjaeldent-fly-til-Aalborg "Sjældent fly til Aalborg" (in Danish).] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428042647/http://www.tv2nord.dk/artikel/203637:Regionale-nyheder--Sjaeldent-fly-til-Aalborg |date=28 April 2012 }} ''tv2nord'', 24 April 2012.</ref>