At the end of the 1930s, the Luftwaffe command announced a need for a
high-speed reconnaissance aircraft capable of performing bombing tasks.
Heinkel introduced the P1055 concept designed by Rudolf Lusser. The
plane was to have a range of 4,000 km and a maximum speed of 750 km/h.
Soon the demand was changed and it was now to be a heavy fighter.
The project was adjusted, but its fate was uncertain in the face of the
volatile decisions of the RLM. At the same time, General der Nachtjagd
Josef Kammhuber was looking for an aircraft that could be used as a
modern night fighter. Ultimately, the P1055 design was modified and the
He 219 V1 prototype was flown in this form in November 1942. Then it was
significantly modified and the next prototypes were completed and the
first samples of the He 219A-0 trial series (which also included some
prototypes), equipped with FuG 212 and FuG 202 radar. Later, the newer
FuG 220 were installed.