Gamescom 2026: Microsoft Releases Local Legend 25: The Heinkel He 70 Blitz
Quick summary· AI-generated
Microsoft announced the release of the Heinkel He 70 Blitz at Gamescom 2026, a 1930s high-speed German transport aircraft that first flew in 1932 and holds eight world speed records. The aircraft features realistic specifications (183 mph cruise, 220 mph max speed, 1,130-mile range), historically accurate liveries including officially licensed Lufthansa schemes, and was developed using archival materials and original plans digitized with U.S. National Archives assistance. The release includes a formal partnership between Microsoft and Lufthansa, expanding the airline's presence in MSFS 2024. Development relied on extensive historical research due to the absence of intact He 70 airframes in the world today.
Excerpt from Threshold
Microsoft has released the Heinkel He 70 Blitz, also known as Local Legend 25, for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024, a 1930’s German high-speed transport aircraft.
Read all of Microsoft’s Gamescom announcements here.
Built by Heinkel Flugzeugwerke after Deutsche Luft Hansa, the original German national airline, sought a faster aircraft for passenger and mail transport across Europe, the He 70 first flew on Dec. 1, 1932.
Its speed then quickly earned the aircraft the nickname “blitz”, meaning lightning in German.
The aircraft, somewhat unusual for its time, combined an elliptical wing design with retractable landing gear, a streamlined metal monococque fuselage, and a retractable radiator.
It was powered by a BMW VI V-12 engine producing up to 740 horsepower, could carry up to six people, and was designed to reduce drag wherever possible, according to Microsoft’s post.
The early prototypes set eight world speed records at the time, and Deutsche Luft Hansa introduced the aircraft on several domestic routes, linking Berlin with Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Cologne, as well as an international service between Stuttgart and Seville.
Military variants were built from 1935 onwards, with the Luftwaffe using the He 70 primarily for reconnaissance and light bombing.
Some were also sent to Spain during the Spanish Civil War.
The design later influenced the larger Heinkel He 111, which was likewise developed into civilian and military variants.
Microsoft says the aircraft can cruise at 183 mph and reach a maximum speed of 220 mph, with a range of 1,130 miles and a service ceiling of 20,000 feet, at least for the version represented in the simulator.
There are no intact He 70 airframes in the world today, and Microsoft says the development team and partners relied heavily on archival material, including the original plans, which were digitised with assistance from the U.S. National Archives.
The Heinkel He 70 Blitz comes with several historically accurate liveries and includes several officially licensed Lufthansa schemes.
The latter liveries are part of a formal partnership between Microsoft and Lufthansa, which was also announced at Gamescom 2026.
Read more about Microsoft’s Lufthansa partnership here.
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