WesWorld

Hi folks. would this be feasible? And if so, desirable? I like the thought of the added range. See my supercruiser with 4 of them.

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Originally posted by LordArpad
Hi folks. would this be feasible? And if so, desirable? I like the thought of the added range. See my supercruiser with 4 of them.

I think it'd be a real trick to make it catapultable. Perhaps doable, but not on a scale that I think makes it a good idea.

In terms of wingspan and weight, here's how the He115 compares with other scout aircraft:
- OS2U: 11m wingspan, 2700kg MTO
- SC Seahawk: 12.5m wingspan, 4000kg loaded weight
- Ar196: 12.5m wingspan, 3720kg MTO
- He115: 22.3m wingspan, 10400kg loaded

Even if the He115 had folding wings, it's still going to be a major space-hog (the wings can't fold until the outside of the engines). A quick test with a drawing indicates to me that the empennage and the most likely wing-folding spot cover about 43% of the wingspan - in short, an He115 would only be able to fold up to a space about 9.6m wide by 17.3m long. A folded He115 would probably require at least twice the physical space of an Ar196.

Next is the issue of the weight. Hydraulic catapults seem to be topping out in the 15,000-20,000 pound category for this period on the larger carriers. I don't know about the gunpowder-fired catapults on cruisers, but I'd think they're probably less capable due to the smaller length. So catapulting an He115 would require a much larger, much more high-powered catapult than what was historically done during the time period.

All in all, I'd say "possible but implausible."

I think the inter-war German catapult ships probably could.

The larage K-7/K-9 catapults can launch her, but what would it be good for?

Why the interest in a "catapultable" He115?

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Originally posted by Desertfox
I think the inter-war German catapult ships probably could.

Yes, but that's a ship with a full-length specialized catapult - not something that can fit on a cruiser or even a battleship without major design issues.

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Originally posted by Brockpaine

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Originally posted by Desertfox
I think the inter-war German catapult ships probably could.

Yes, but that's a ship with a full-length specialized catapult - not something that can fit on a cruiser or even a battleship without major design issues.

This was the ship that carried and launched the similar Ha-139 4-engine mail floatplane?

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Originally posted by HoOmAn
The larage K-7/K-9 catapults can launch her, but what would it be good for?

Why the interest in a "catapultable" He115?

Range - and a secondary torpedo attack capability. Imagine having a few scouting the ocean and sinking the odd freighter with a torpedo.

Quoted

Originally posted by LordArpad

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Originally posted by HoOmAn
The larage K-7/K-9 catapults can launch her, but what would it be good for?

Why the interest in a "catapultable" He115?

Range - and a secondary torpedo attack capability. Imagine having a few scouting the ocean and sinking the odd freighter with a torpedo.

In practice, it'd be better to have more aircraft thoroughly covering the area near the launch vessel than to have a few extremely long-ranged aircraft thinly covering a larger area.

As for secondary attack capability, that can be done by a single-engine aircraft.

I am not so sure - And the Ar-196 would have to return and arm in order to be able to launch a torp. The He-115 could do both.

Quoted

Originally posted by LordArpad
I am not so sure - And the Ar-196 would have to return and arm in order to be able to launch a torp. The He-115 could do both.

I don't think Ar196s have torpedo launch capability. But other single-engine floatplanes like the Late-298 do. (Even then, a much larger plane.)