1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Heinkel 219 2012: Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
what is it?
The Heinkel He 219 Uhu ("Eagle-Owl") is a night fighter designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Heinkel. It primarily served with the Luftwaffe in the later stages of the Second World War. Work on the He 219 began in mid 1940 as a multi-purpose aircraft designated P.1055.
How to recognise it: 2 piston engines with propellers · 18.5 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 84 years ago, in 1942.
- Top speed is 5.2× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 18.5 m: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
- Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 3 African elephants (~6 t each).
- Range of 1,545 km: 9× Amsterdam to Brussels.
- Can fly 1.4× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1942-11-06
- introduced
- 1943
- retired
- 1945
- status
- retired
- number built
- 288
- role
- night fighter
- origin
- German Reich
- makers
- Heinkel, Rostock
- engines
- 2× Daimler-Benz DB 603E / Daimler-Benz DB 603
- crew
- 2
- length
- 15.3 m
- wingspan
- 18.5 m
- height
- 4.1 m
- max take-off weight
- 15.3 t
- top speed
- 670 km/h
- cruise speed
- 540 km/h
- range
- 1,545 km
- ceiling
- 12,700 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q276529, Wikipedia: Heinkel He 219 Uhu (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.