He 219 A-7

He 219 A-7

He 219 A-7

Germany

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
4.7	4.3	4.3

Class:

PREMIUM

Strike aircraft

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

Show in game

Description

The He 219 A-7 is a premium rank IV German strike aircraft with a battle rating of 4.7 (AB) and 4.3 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.59 "Flaming Arrows". The He 219 A-7 is unique as it is the first user-created vehicle to be featured in the game as part of the revenue share program, created by Daniil "Joy_Division__" Zaitsev, inspired by "NovA29R". The plane texture was created by Arthur Pacifica Carley. The He 219 A-7, is a premium plane, which is purchasable in-game, located in the German tech tree, for 2,670 golden eagles with a percentage of the sale going back to the model author who created it under the "Revenue Share Program".

The Heinkel He 219 A-7 Uhu was produced by the legendary Heinkel company, which was renowned for making excellent aircraft. He 219 A-7 Uhu, is a powerful German Night Fighter, with less than 300 aircraft created during the war. It has a very distinct external appearance, the design of the aircraft resembles a "Tasman beaked whale". He-219-A7 features a pressurised cockpit, one pilot and one radar operator; who operates the plane. The plane offers a powerful twin "Daimler-Benz DB 603 E" engines. Each engine offers up to 1,774 metric horsepower with a top speed of 388 mph with WEP. The plane is able to climb up to altitudes of 8000 meters (26,248 feet) within 18 minutes and 22 seconds without using WEP.

The He 219-A7 has three different types of weaponry installed, with a grand total of six cannons.

In the fuselage, it has two Mk 103 30 mm cannons, given 200 rounds, with another pair of MG 151 20 mm cannons with 600 rounds. In the wings it has two Mk 108 30 mm cannons, with a total of 200 rounds. The total of all the ammunition, which it carries is 1,000 rounds. It can not be equipped with bombs, rockets, torpedoes or any other type of secondary weapons.

The unique ground-pounding capability of this aircraft makes it a true force to be reckoned with, if left alone. The "Armored targets" belt for the Mk 103s, consisting of only HVAP-T bullets, is easily able to kill medium tanks from the sides and rear. While the Mk 108s or MG 151s can be left to deal with AAA or Artillery targets, or any fighters that dare to take it head-on.

Do note that the engines seem to overheat rather quickly when running at full WEP.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 6 700 m624 km/h

Turn time30 s

Max altitude10 400 m

Engine2 х Daimler-Benz DB-603E

TypeInline

Cooling systemWater

Take-off weight16 t

Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 6,700 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	602	584	10400	32.2	33.4	8.4	8.3	444
Upgraded	648	624		29.4	30.7	13.7	10.8

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	X	X

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
787	310	470	444	310	~11	~7

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 440	< 420	< 490	> 280

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
7,300 m	1,440 hp	1,588 hp

Survivability and armour

Crew2 people

Speed of destruction

Structural787 km/h

Gear310 km/h

• 8 mm Steel - pilot seat
• 8 mm Steel - radar operator seat
• 12 mm Steel- aircraft nose

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB1 127

RB1 990

SB3 829

Crew training10 000

Experts250 000

Aces820

Research Aces870 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 90 / 150 / 420 %

2 × 160 / 160 / 160 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Radiator Compressor Wings repair Engine Engine injection	Airframe Cover	mg15120_belt_pack mk108_belt_pack mg15120_new_gun mk103_belt_pack mk108_new_gun mk103_new_gun

Armaments

Offensive armament

Weapon 12 x 30 mm MK 108 cannon

Ammunition200 rounds

Fire rate600 shots/min

Weapon 22 x 30 mm MK 103 cannon

Ammunition200 rounds

Fire rate450 shots/min

Weapon 32 x 20 mm MG 151 cannon

Ammunition600 rounds

Fire rate700 shots/min

The He 219 A-7 is armed with:

• 2 x 30 mm MK 108 cannons, wing-mounted (100 rpg = 200 total)
• 2 x 30 mm MK 103 cannons, belly-mounted (100 rpg = 200 total)
• 2 x 20 mm MG 151 cannons, belly-mounted (300 rpg = 600 total)

The six cannons are arranged two groups with the two 30 mm MK 108 cannons mounted in the wing roots, while the two Mk 103 and two MG 151 cannons are clustered in the belly of the fuselage. Each of the 30 mm cannons are armed with the same amount of ammunition, which means that all guns will fire together until empty. The 20 mm cannons on the other hand have three times as much ammunition and will continue to be able to fire when the 30 mm ammunition is depleted.

Usage in battles

The below tactics, can be used in all games modes:

Climb to a high altitude, make sure the enemy aircraft is below you, descend and stay on their tail. Since most of your cannons are mounted in the fuselage you don't need to set convergence. However you will still have to set it, since your two Mk 108 30 mm cannons are mounted in the wings, set it for 600 metres. Since this will allow them to help with main fuselage cannons to cause critical damage and/or to destroy the enemy plane.

Bombers
Once you locate the enemy bombers, perform an irrational and fast descent however do not lose your energy and speed, in the process. Once you are closing in, fire a short burst to get your attack angles right. As you start closing on your target, your target's gunners may start firing. The rugged airframe of the He-219 should be able to withstand hits.

This does not mean you should only stay only on the bombers six o'clock during the attack, just staying on the six o'clock will result in your untimely death. You need to keep moving around erratically and being unpredictable, if the gunners on the target aircraft have not been neutralised.

Use WEP and fire two to three second bursts; this will bring the bomber down. Once the bomber is down, ascend and find your next prey. For tougher bombers such as the B-25 Mitchell, you will need to fire a longer burst if aiming for the fuselage, this should be about five seconds. However, you could always aim for the engines and wings and fire a much shorter bust of about two seconds, this will cause major damage to the engine, wing spar, flaps and ailerons, often causing the target aircraft to catch alight and/or lose control and crash which will award you with a kill.

Fighters, interceptors & anything else which is not a bomber.
As long as you stay on its tail and are undetected, a fighter aircraft will be a easy kill.

Stay on its tail and do not let it escape. Do not lose your energy: do not turn fight, this is how you will lose the energy you require to escape. Fire above or below the direction it is going to go; as soon as it starts to turn, disengage and use WEP to get away from that enemy aircraft.

You should really watch out for the following planes, these are able to outperform and eliminate you from the battle: P-61 Black Widow, Yak 9UT including all the Yak's, the P-51 Mustang, includes all American fighters and British Spitfires.

How to perform defensive fighting:
When you are being engaged by an enemy fighter, make sure you push the engines to WEP and push the plane into a very steep dive of about 70 degrees. You will reach about 470 mph in this dive, do not perform sharp movements this will result in you causing structural damage and often will rip your wings clean off. To get out of this speed make small improvements to the dive angle of attack, you can keep the speed and energy gained from this evasive dive, then commence your climb back to a high altitude.

Ground-pounding
From the very start of the game, dive down to very low altitude, perhaps choosing a bearing away from the expected flight path of any enemy fighters. Try to let them pass and engage the fighters on your team before engaging any of the ground targets.

Medium tanks can be killed very easily with the Mk 103s "Armored Targets" belt, aim for the sides of the tanks, or the back of the tanks.

Try your best not to over-extend, as the flight characteristics of the He 219 are not forgiving if you dip too low.

After killing a target from the side, fly a bit away before turning around to re-engage other targets, as you want the best possible chance to strike the tanks with a single shot of the Mk 103s, which can kill tanks easily.

AAA and Artillery can be left alone, or killed easily with the Mk 108s or MG 151s, as you probably want to save the Mk 103s for heavier targets.

Radars

The He 219 A-7 is equipped with a FuG 202 search radar, located in the nose of the aircraft; a control box which is part of the radar damage model is located in the rear of the cockpit.

FuG 202 - Target Detection Radar
Maximum Detection Range	Guaranteed Detection Range	Max Azimuth Scan Angle	Max Elevation Scan Angle
4,000 m	4,000 m	±30°	±30°

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Not controllable	Controllable Auto control available	Controllable Auto control available	Controllable Auto control available	Separate	Not controllable 1 gear	Not controllable

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Armament
  • Very powerful gun armament, with one of the highest one second burst mass statistics in the game.
  • Twin 30 mm MK 108 cannons at a very low Battle Rating.
  • Twin 30 mm MK 103 cannons hit like a ton of bricks to any ground targets
  • Excels in bomber hunting.
  • HVAP-T (MK 103) Have excellent penetration up to 95 mm, allowing for destruction of medium and heavy tanks (with precise aiming).
• Belly mounted 30 mm MK 103 cannons count as 'additional armament'. Be sure that they are keybound properly.
• Air frame, performance and handling
  • Decent climb rate when used with WEP.
  • Tough and sturdy air frame.
  • Landing gear is strong, can take a fast hard landing.
  • Can keep control with one engine and keep a well controlled descent.
  • Can put wing fuel tank fires out in a dive as longed as its throttled back.
  • Engines cool down fast a high throttle.
  • Engines do not overheat at throttle setting 90% or lower.
  • Has access to radar

Cons:

• Armament
  • 30 mm MK108 cannons have low velocity.
  • No defensive armament.
  • No additional armament selection.
• Air frame, performance and handling
  • Hard to evade enemies if they are on your tail.
  • Can start to overheat quickly when using WEP.
  • Subpar top speed of 388 mph (624 km/h).
  • Mediocre climb rate performance without WEP.
  • Can stall easily, if you put it in a steep climb.
  • Requires a lot distance on the runway to land safely.
  • To large and heavy to dogfight without sustaining critical damage.
  • Cannot put fuselage fires out, if fuselage fuel tanks have been set alight.
  • Can be hard to control at low speed and steep angles.
  • Not super manoeuvrable like some other twin engine interceptors.
  • Banked beyond 85-90 degrees in a turn, will cause the plane to flip over, this can be very hard to recover from if at low altitude.
  • Impossible to land without landing gear as the tail section will snap off.
  • Massive ballistic performance difference between the MG 151 20 mm, MK 103 30 mm, and MK 108 30 mm cannons, making impossible for most scenarios to combine the full firepower of all 3.

History

The He 219 ‘Uhu’ (“Eagle-Owl”) was a German prototype night fighter of the Second World War. Designed to counter strategic bombers such as the Avro Lancaster, the He 219 was fitted with a radar and Schräge Musik upwards-firing weapons. The aircraft was also the first German aircraft to be fitted with a tricycle landing gear arrangement, and the first production aircraft to be fitted with ejection seats. 

The design and development of the He 219 was long and delayed due to rivalries within the Luftwaffe. Following repeated design changes and delays, the first prototype began construction in February of 1942 funded entirely by Heinkel, as the RLM (German air ministry) was unwilling. After the prototype engine choice was changed to the Daimler DB 603C (the same engine used on the Fw 190 C high-altitude fighter), the prototype was finally completed and flown in November of 1942. The aircraft impressed German night fighter commander Josef Kammhuber, and as a result, the aircraft was ordered into production against the wishes of the RLM. After more internal conflicts, the He 219 was ordered into production.

The He 219 A-0 was the first production model of the He 219 and was powered by two DB 603 A engines. The aircraft was followed by the He 219 A-2 with extended fuel tanks. The He 219 A-1, A-5 and A-6 were prototypes for various purposes and were not completed. The He 219 A-7 was the last production model of the He 219, featuring upgraded DB 603E engines.

In terms of design, the He 219 featured a high-mounted wing with two engine nacelles each housing a DB 603E engine and was capable of 670 km/h at 7000 metres altitude. The landing gear was arranged in a tricycle configuration, each rear landing gear leg mounted in the nacelle. The He 219 had a crew of two in a pressurized cockpit, both crew members having access to ejection seats. In terms of armament, the He 219 had four 20 mm MG 151/20 autocannons firing forward and two 30 mm MK 108 cannons firing upwards in a Schräge Musik configuration: these weapons proved to be very effective against bombers.

In service, the He 219 proved to be quite effective against allied bombers: the aircraft could be directed to the general area by ground control, then locate and engage enemy bombers using their radars. In total, 210 He 219 A-7 aircraft were ordered, but the actual number completed is not known. In total, roughly 300 He 219 aircraft were built; following the war, three aircraft were acquired by the USAF for testing. One He 219 survives today, an A-2 variant, at the Smithsonian National Air & Space museum in Washington DC.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the He 219 A-7 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #4 - Pages of History section at 06:09 discusses the He 219 A-7.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] He 219: The Night Hunter
• [News] Revenue Share Program
• Official data sheet - more details about the performance