Heinkel Wespe

what is it?

The Heinkel Wespe (English: Wasp) was a project study by the German company Heinkel for a tail-sitting, vertical take off and landing-interceptor aircraft. The aircraft did not have conventional wings, but instead featured a large rotor. Completed in 1945, it remained untested due to a lack of material at the end of the Second World War.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 turboprop · 6.3 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 800 km/htop speed
• range 650 kmwithout refuelling
• size 2,200 kgmax take-off weight

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

• 🏎️Top speed is 6.2× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).

turboprop: A jet-style turbine turning a propeller: efficient on short hops.

spec sheet

first flight

—

number built

—

role

vtol interceptor aircraft

origin

🇩🇪 Germany

makers

Heinkel

engines

1× He S 021

crew

1

length

6.2 m

wingspan

6.3 m

height

2 m

max take-off weight

2,200 kg

top speed

800 km/h

range

650 km

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.