Henschel Hs 122

The Henschel Hs 122 was a tactical reconnaissance aircraft developed to replace the Heinkel He 46, and which became the basis of the Henschel Hs 126. Like the He 46 the Hs 122 was a single-engined parasol wing monoplane, with a fixed undercarriage, and a crew of two.

The first prototype, Hs 122a, flew early in 1935, and was powered by a Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine. It was followed by the Hs 122b and Hs 122C, both of which used the Siemens Sh 22B radial engine. The first prototype was evaluated at Fassberg in the autumn of 1935. It was found to have excellent handling and slow speed characteristics, but its top speed was disappointingly close to that of the Heinkel He 46. Henschel were asked to re-design the aircraft to use the BMW Fafnir radial engine, and took the opportunity to redesign most of the aircraft, to produce the Hs 126.

One Hs 122 was modified to become the Hs 126V1. This aircraft was the fourth in a sequence, although sources disagree on which sources, presenting it as either the fourth prototype, or the fourth pre-production aircraft in either the A or B series (122A-04 or 122B-04). The last of these suggestions can be dismissed, as no B-series was produced, and as this is the only mention of a fourth prototype the middle option seems most likely - a small number of pre-production Hs 122A-0s do appear to have been built during 1935.   

Henschel Hs 122A-0
Engine: Siemens Sh 22B radial engine
Power: 660hp
Crew: 2
Wing span: 46ft 6 ¾ in
Length: 33ft 7 ½ in
Height: 11ft 1 ¾ in
Fully loaded weight: 5,566lb
Max Speed: 164mph

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How to cite this article: Rickard, J (9 December 2009), Henschel Hs 122 , http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_henschel_hs_122.html

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