The Blohm & Voss Ha 139 was a German all-metal inverted gull wing floatplane. With its four engines it was at the time one of the largest float-equipped seaplanes that had been built. The inboard engines were mounted at the joint between the inboard anhedral and outboard dihedral wing sections, above the pylon-mounted floats. Further development of the Ha 139 led to the land-based version Blohm & Voss BV 142 which had its first flight in October 1938.

Operational history

The aircraft were flown by Deutsche Luft Hansa on transatlantic routes between 1937 and 1939, predominantly between Bathurst, The Gambia and Natal, Brazil. Catapult-launched from an aircraft tender they were able to transport 500 kg of mail over a distance of up to 5000 km. On the outbreak of World War II, the planes were transferred to the Luftwaffe and used for transport, reconnaissance and minesweeping work over the Baltic Sea. They were not particularly suited for military use.

Variants

Data from: Aircraft of the Third Reich

Specifications (Ha 139B/Umbau)