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The Heinkel He 66 was the designation given to a small number of Heinkel He 50 dive-bombers produced for export to Japan and China.
The He 50 had been designed in response to a Japanese order of 1931. It was a conventional two-bay biplane of mixed wood and welded steel tube construction, with a fabric cover. The first prototype, He 50aW, made its maiden flight in 1931, and was a floatplane powered by the 390hp Junkers L 5 liquid cooled engine. It was followed by the He 50aL, which was a landplane powered by a 490hp Siemens Jupiter VI radial engine. It was this second prototype that became the basis for the small production run of aircraft that were sent to Japan, as the He 66.
The He 50 was further developed for the Luftwaffe, which ordered a version powered by the Siemens SAM 22 engine. Twelve of these aircraft were ordered by China, with the designation He 66b (or He 66aCh and bCh). They were never delivered, and instead were commandeered by the Luftwaffe in 1933, where they served as the He 50B.
Aircraft of the Luftwaffe 1935-1945, Jean-Denis G.G. Lepage.
Combines a good background history of the Luftwaffe with a comprehensive examination of its aircraft, from the biplanes of the mid 1930s to the main wartime aircraft and on to the seemingly unending range of experimental designs that wasted so much effort towards the end of the war. A useful general guide that provides an impressively wide range of information on almost every element of the Luftwaffe
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