Blohm & Voss Ha 139

The Blohm & Voss Ha 139 was a German all-metal inverted gull wing four engined floatplane.

The aircraft were flown by Deutsche Luft Hansa on transatlantic routes between 1937 and 1939. Catapult-launched from an aircraft tender they were able to transport 500 kg of mail over a distance of up to 5,000 km.

On the outbreak of World War II, the planes were transferred to the Luftwaffe and used for transport, reconnaissance and minesweeping work over the Baltic Sea.

General characteristics

Crew: 4–5
Length: 20.07 m (65 ft 10 in)
Wingspan: 29.5 m (96 ft 9 in)
Height: 4.8 m (15 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 130 m² (1,400 sq ft)
Empty weight: 10,340 kg (22,796 lb)
Gross weight: 19,000 kg (41,888 lb)
Powerplant: 4 × Junkers Jumo 205C 6-cyl. opposed piston diesel engines, 447 kW (599 hp) each for take-off
Propellers: 3-bladed variable-pitch metal propellers

Performance

Maximum speed: 288 km/h (179 mph, 156 kn) at 3,000 m (9,843 ft)
Cruise speed: 238 km/h (148 mph, 129 kn) (maximum) at 2,000 m (6,562 ft)
Economical cruise speed: 200 km/h (124 mph)
Ferry range: 4,600 km (2,900 mi, 2,500 nmi) at 238 km/h (148 mph) 4,950 km (3,076 mi) at 200 km/h (124 mph)
Rate of climb: 2.833 m/s (557.7 ft/min)

Armament