As He 100 V1 became the first prototype in the series, the follow-up form was He 100 V2 which intended to address stability problems featured in its predecessor (as well as the He 112). He 100 V3 was given "clipped" wing tips for increased performance (a quality also given to later-generation Supermarine Spitfires by the British). These three aircraft were collectively showcased under the "He 100A" designation.
He 100 V4 was built to a greater production standard and classified under the "He 100B" designation. This model carried the DB601M but lacked all armament and reached 416 mph in tested (at 16,000 feet of altitude). It later suffered undercarriage damage and had to be rebuilt.
He 100 V5 was built closely to the He 100 V4 specification and flew for the first time in November of 1938 but changes enacted led to the overarching "He 100C" branch. He 100 V6 followed into the air during February 1939 but was used more as an engine testbed. He 100 V7 saw its cooling system modified and arrived in May 1939 with, base on sources, its complete armament suite installed. Being the closest specimen to a full-working fighter, the aircraft nonetheless was stripped of its combat value and entered into high-speed testing for the remainder of its life. He 100 V9 models were used in crash testing.
At the time of its inception, the He 100 was one of the highest-performing military fighters anywhere in the world, capable of exceptional speed with enough inherent firepower to boot. However, the crippling issue to the He 100 program appears to be the availability of the Daimler-Benz DB601 series inline engine as it was also being featured, not only in the competing Bf 109 fighter, but in the Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter (a twin-engined design to make matters worse). As such, the German Air Ministry pushed along with the war effort relying heavily on these two aircraft designs (the upcoming Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter instead relied on an air-cooled radial engine for its part in the story).
Beyond engine availability, the design also suffered through cooling issues and undercarriage collapses that were never ironed out in testing.
For a brief period, Heinkel entertained the prospect of a re-engined its He 100 with the Junkers Jumo 211 series inline. However, this avenue was fraught with all sorts of challenges that made the switch prohibitive, especially for a fighter specifically designed around the Daimler-Benz installation. Additionally, the Juno 211 also soon faced availability issues all its own.
As mentioned, the He 100 fighter was featured under the "He 113" propaganda program by the Third Reich in the run-up to World War 2 and appeared in "action" photography while also being touted in three-view and perspective drawings intended to showcase German ingenuity using the latest in military fighter development. The He 113 was, in fact, nothing more than the He 100D-1 reconstituted for propaganda purposes. Its success in this role was limited though British intelligence did, in fact, classify it and attempted to assigned various performance and structural values to the unproven design.
The He 100 design was sold to ally Japan, which were impressed by the type, but the war in Europe nixed any plans to ship the needed equipment for serial production. The Soviets bought six of the He 100 airframes for further study.
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