Blohm & Voss Ha 140

The Blohm & Voss Ha 140 was a German multi-purpose seaplane first flown in 1937. It was intended for use as a torpedo bomber or long-range reconnaissance aircraft, but did not enter production.

The Ha 140 was developed to meet a requirement for a twin-engine floatplane reconnaissance/torpedo bomber.

The Ha 140 had an all-metal structure of conventional cantilever monoplane layout, with twin floats on pylons beneath its twin wing-mounted engines. The high-mounted wing had a straight centre section and slight dihedral on the outer sections.

The crew consisted of a pilot and radio operator, with a gunner in a revolving turret in the nose or in a second gun position to the rear. The torpedo or bomb load was accommodated in an internal bomb bay.

Three prototypes were built and the design beat the competing Heinkel He 115. However, by then B&V did not have enough spare manufacturing capacity for series production and declined the order, which went to Heinkel instead.

In 1940 the third prototype was modified to test the tail design and variable-incidence wing mechanism used on the BV 144 transport.

General characteristics

Crew: 3
Length: 16.75 m (54 ft 11 in)
Wingspan: 22 m (72 ft 2 in)
Height: 3.05 m (10 ft 0 in)
Wing area: 92 m² (990 sq ft)
Empty weight: 6,300 kg (13,889 lb)
Gross weight: 8,500 kg (18,739 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 9,230 kg (20,349 lb)
Fuel capacity: 2,365 l (520 imp gal)
Powerplant: 2 × BMW 132K 9-cyl. air-cooled radial piston engines, 597 kW (801 hp) each for take-off
619 kW (830 hp) at 1,000 m (3,281 ft)
Propellers: 3-bladed variable-pitch propellers

Performance

Maximum speed: 320 km/h (200 mph, 170 kn) at sea level
333 km/h (207 mph) at 3,000 m (9,843 ft)
Cruise speed: 295 km/h (183 mph, 159 kn) at 85% power at sea level
Range: 1,150 km (710 mi, 620 nmi) with 1,390 l (306 imp gal) of fuelwith 2,365 l (520 imp gal) of fuel
Ferry range: 2,000 km (1,200 mi, 1,100 nmi) with 2,365 l (520 imp gal) of fuel
Service ceiling: 5,000 m (16,000 ft)
Time to altitude: 3,000 m (9,843 ft) in 11 minutes 30 seconds
5,000 m (16,404 ft) in 39 minutes

Armament

Guns: 1× 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 15 machine gun in nose, 1× MG 15 machine gun at dorsal hatch
Bombs: 1× 952 kg (2,099 lb) torpedo or 4× 250 kg (551 lb) bombs