| rdfs:comment | - The Heinkel He 219 "Uhu" was a German, twin-engine night-fighter, that was used during World War II. It was the first aircraft of the Luftwaffe to be equipped with ejection seats and the first World War II-era aircraft with a tricycle landing gear. The aircraft was also equipped with a Lichtenstein radar. Development of the aircraft had many problems and delays, caused by rivalries between Josef Kammhuber, commander of the German night fighter forces, Ernst Heinkel, the manufacturer, and Erhard Milch, responsible for aircraft construction in the Reichsluftfahrtministerium, so that only small numbers were built.
- Design work on the He 219 began in the early 1940s and was begun by Robert Lusser, an engineer at Heinkel, who developed the He 219 from a private venture design intended to provide a single aircraft type capable of fulfilling a number of roles, from torpedo attack to long range air fighting. The type's many innovative features led to the design being rejected by the RLM in 1940. However, a chance visit by Generalmajor JosefKammhuber, head of the Luftwaffe's night fighter branch, resulted in the private venture design being reworked for the night fighter role, with the designation He 219, in the face of serious and determined opposition.
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| abstract | - The Heinkel He 219 "Uhu" was a German, twin-engine night-fighter, that was used during World War II. It was the first aircraft of the Luftwaffe to be equipped with ejection seats and the first World War II-era aircraft with a tricycle landing gear. The aircraft was also equipped with a Lichtenstein radar. Development of the aircraft had many problems and delays, caused by rivalries between Josef Kammhuber, commander of the German night fighter forces, Ernst Heinkel, the manufacturer, and Erhard Milch, responsible for aircraft construction in the Reichsluftfahrtministerium, so that only small numbers were built.
- Design work on the He 219 began in the early 1940s and was begun by Robert Lusser, an engineer at Heinkel, who developed the He 219 from a private venture design intended to provide a single aircraft type capable of fulfilling a number of roles, from torpedo attack to long range air fighting. The type's many innovative features led to the design being rejected by the RLM in 1940. However, a chance visit by Generalmajor JosefKammhuber, head of the Luftwaffe's night fighter branch, resulted in the private venture design being reworked for the night fighter role, with the designation He 219, in the face of serious and determined opposition. The excellence of Heinkel's design meant that only minor modifications to the first prototype were required before it's first flight on 15th November 1942. The type's susceptibility to yaw/roll instability was cured by extension of the rear fuselage, and enlargement of the tail surfaces. The subsequent armament and equipment alterations prompted the RLM to request reduction in the 29 resulting armament variations. Development was also delayed by Allied air raids during march and April 1942, which virtually destroyed all production facilities for the He 219 at Rostock, and resulted is production being dispersed to a number of different sites. The second, third and forth prototypes joined the development programme in March 1943, by which time the initial order for 100 examples had been increased to 300.. The 219 V2 and V3 carried six MG151/20 cannon - one in each wing root and four in a ventral tray, with V3 having larger tail surfaces. The 219 V4 was fitted with FuG 202 Lichtenstein airborne interception radar. These were supplemented by a further six prototypes, used for operational trials as He 219A-0s. These were He 219A-0/R1s with four 30 mm MK108s and two 20 mm MG151/20s, or He 219A-0/R2s with four 30 mm MK103s and two MG151/20s
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