Hirth

Göbler-Hirthmotoren GmbH is an aircraft engine manufacturer based in Benningen, Germany.

History

The company was founded by Hellmuth Hirth in 1920 as Hellmuth Hirth Versuchsbau, renamed Leichtmetall-Werke GmbH and finally Elektronmetall GmbH as a manufacturer of light alloy engine components, including parts for aircraft engine components. In 1927, Hirth separated this part of the business, renaming it as Hirth Motoren GmbH, with the remainder becoming Mahle GmbH.

The first Hirth Motoren GmbH engine, the 4-cylinder inverted in-line HM 60, was released in 1931 and was fairly successful. An upgrade in the form of the HM 60R improved efficiency, and was followed by 6, 8 and 12-cylinder versions based on the same machinery. Over the next decade, Hirth became one of Germany's leading aero engine manufacturers.

Following Hirth's death in an aircraft crash in 1938, the Reichsluftfahrtministerium ("Reich aviation ministry") nationalised the company, and in 1941 it was merged with Heinkel to make Heinkel-Hirth. Although the existing engine series were continued, Heinkel also used the Hirth production facilities as a basis for work by Hans von Ohain on a series of jet engines as well under the new name of Heinkel-Strahltriebwerke, although for various reasons none was widely used, through their final Heinkel HeS 011 design, for which only 19 testing prototype powerplants were ever built, and intended for use in a proliferation of German jet combat aircraft design proposals late in the war.

Hirth (surname)

Hirth is a surname. Notable people with this surname include:

See also

Hirth HM 60

The Hirth HM 60 was a four-cylinder inverted air-cooled inline aircraft engine designed in 1923 and first sold in 1924. The engine was of very high quality, and its sales success contributed to Hirth's rapid pre-war expansion. It was a popular engine for light aircraft delivering 80 hp (60 kW) at 2,300 rpm. Later Hirth engines built upon the HM 60's success and provided greater power with many of the same design features.

Variants

Applications

Specifications (HM 60R2)

General characteristics

Components

Performance