The Potez 540 was a French multi-role aircraft of the 1930s. Designed and built by Potez, it served with the French Air Force as a reconnaissance bomber, also serving with the Spanish Republican Air Force during the Spanish Civil War. Although obsolete as a bomber, it remained in service in support roles and in France's overseas colonies at the start of World War II.
This two-engine aircraft was built by the French Potez company to fulfill a 1932 specification for a new reconnaissance bomber. Built as a private venture, this aircraft, designated the Potez 54, flew for the first time on 14 November 1933. Designed by Louis Coroller, it was intended as a four-seat aircraft capable of performing duties such as bomber, transport and long-range reconnaissance. The Potez 54 was a high-wing monoplane, of mixed wood and metal covering over a steel tube frame.
The prototype had twin fins and rudders, and was powered by two 515 kW (690 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Xbrs V-12 engines in streamlined nacelles, which were connected to the fuselage by stub wings. The main landing gear units retracted into the nacelles, and auxiliary bomb racks were mounted beneath the stub wings. There were manually operated turrets at the nose and dorsal positions, as well as a semi-retractable dustbin-style ventral turret. During development, the original tailplane was replaced by a single fin and rudder, and in this form, the type was re-designated the Potez 540 and delivered to the Armee de I'Air on 25 November 1934. A total of 192 Potez 540s were built.
Their first combat was in the Spanish Civil War, where they were employed by the Spanish loyalist side. A poor design that was already obsolete just two years after its introduction, when confronted by the higher performance German and Italian plans of the same period, the Potez 540 proved itself a failure in Spanish skies during the Civil War and was labelled as 'Flying Coffin' (Spanish: Ataúd Volante) by Spanish Republican pilots. In the late 1930s, these aircraft were becoming obsolete so they were withdrawn from reconnaissance and bombing duties and were relegated to French transport units.
They were also employed as paratrooper training and transport aircraft. By September 1939 and the beginning of World War II, they had been largely transferred to the French colonies in North Africa, where they continued to function in transport and paratrooper service. Their role in even these secondary assignments was problematic given their poor defensive armament and vulnerability to modern enemy fighters. Following the French capitulation to Germany in June 1940, those Potez 540s still flying served the Vichy French Air Force mainly in the French overseas colonies. Most of these machines were retired or destroyed by late 1943.
Operators Armée de l'Air French Navy Regia Aeronautica Japanese Imperial Navy - Purchased as Potez CXP flying-boat. Royal Romanian Air Force Spain Spanish Republic Spanish Republican Air Force
Specifications Potez 540 General characteristics Crew: 4 to 7 (dependent on whether functioning as transport or bomber) Length: 16.2 m Wingspan: 22.1 m Height: 3.88 m Wing area: 76 m2 Empty weight: 3,785 kg Gross weight: 5,950 kg Powerplant: 2 × Hispano-Suiza 12Xirs V-12 liquid-cooled piston engines, 515 kW (691 hp) each (left hand rotation) Maximum speed: 310 km/h at 3,962 m Range: 1,250 km Service ceiling: 10,000 m Guns: 3-5× 7.5 mm MAC 1934 mg in flexible nose, dorsal, and ventral positions Bombs: 4 × 225 kg bombs on external racks or 10 × 55 kg
The Hawker Hotspur was a Hawker Henley redesigned to take a Boulton-Paul semi-powered four gun turret. It was designed in response to Air Ministry Specification F.9/35, which required a powered turret as the main armament to replace the Hawker Demon.
In the same fashion as the Henley, the Hotspur used standard Hurricane outer wing panels. One prototype aircraft, K8309, was built in 1937, fitted with armament of four 7.7 mm Browning machine guns in a Boulton Paul dorsal turret plus one 7.7 mm Vickers machine gun mounted in the front fuselage.
The completion of the prototype was delayed until 1938, by which time the rival Boulton Paul Defiant had already flown. The Hotspur first flew on 14 June 1938 with only a wooden mock-up of the turret and with ballast equivalent to the weight of armament.
General characteristics Crew: Two, pilot & gunner Length: 10.02 m Wingspan: 12.34 m Height: 4.22 m Wing area: 31.8 m² Empty weight: 2,630 kg Max. takeoff weight: 3,470 kg Powerplant: Rolls-Royce Merlin II hp V-12 inline piston engine, 1,030 hp / 768 kW Maximum speed: 510 km/h Service ceiling: 8,500 m Armament: 4 × 7.7 mm Browning machine guns in a Boulton-Paul turret. 1 × 7.7 mm Vickers machine gun in nose
As Hawker was committed to the production of Hurricanes and Gloster to Henley production, there was insufficient capacity to introduce another type and production was abandoned. The mock-up turret was removed and a cockpit fairing installed. Planned production by Avro to Specification 17/36 was abandoned and the prototype, with turret removed, served at the RAE Farnborough on miscellaneous test programmes of flap and dive brake configurations until 1942.
The Vultee V-11 and V-12 were American attack aircraft of the 1930s. Developed from the Vultee V-1 single-engined airliner, the V-11 and V-12 were purchased by several nation's armed forces, including China, who used them in combat against Japanese forces in the Second Sino-Japanese War. The United States Army Air Corps purchased seven V-11s as the YA-19 in the years before World War II, testing them to gather data to compare against twin engine light attack planes.
In 1935, Vultee produced a light bomber derivative of their single-engined passenger transport, the Vultee V-1, which, while demonstrating good performance, was only sold in small numbers owing to restrictions placed on the use of single-engined aircraft for scheduled passenger transport operations. The resulting aircraft, the Vultee V-11, retained the single-engined, low wing format and all-metal stressed skin structure of the V-1. It combined a new fuselage with accommodation for the two or three crew members under a long greenhouse canopy with the wings and tail surfaces of the Vultee V-1
An initial order for 30 two-seat V-11Gs was placed by China before the end of 1935. This was followed by orders in 1939 for two versions (the V-12-C and V-12D) of the more powerful V-12 variant. The majority of these were planned to be assembled from kits at the Central Aircraft Manufacturing Company factory at Loiwing near the China-Burma border, and while the first batch of 25 V-12-Cs were completed successfully, the factory was heavily bombed just after assembly of the first V-12-Ds commenced. This resulted in the part built airframes being evacuated to India, where it was planned that the aircraft be completed at the Hindustan Aircraft Limited factory in Bangalore. However, after a few were assembled, production was stopped as the factory was diverted to more urgent overhaul work.
The V-11s and V-12s were used as light bombers and achieved some success, including a mission to bomb the Japanese held airfield by 4 aircraft at Yuncheng on February 5, 1939 by the 10th Squadron of the Republic of China Air Force, before the aircraft were withdrawn from bombing missions to training and liaison duties in 1940. In February 1939 the Brazilian Army Air Corps acquired 10 Vultee V-11–GB2s for long range bombing. 26 aircraft were eventually used by the Brazilian Air Force. On 8 November 1939, aircraft 119 performed a 3250 km non stop flight across the Brazilian hinterland in 11 hours and 45 min.
On 26 August 1942, a U-boat was attacked 50 miles off the town of Ararangua in southern Brazil. Despite the unsuitability for anti submarine operations, the aircraft flew low and dropped its load of three 250 lb bombs, some of which exploded around the submarine. A column of water and debris damaged the low flying aircraft. ------------------------
General characteristics Crew: three Length: 11.53 m Wingspan: 15.24 m Height: 3.05 m Wing area: 32.3 m² Max. takeoff weight: 4,736 kg Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney R-1830-17 Twin Wasp 14-cylinder two-row radial, 1200 hp / 895 kW Maximum speed: 370 km/h Range: 2,174 km ferry range Service ceiling: 6,250 m Armament: 4 forward-firing .30 calibre machine guns in wings 1 aft-firing .30 calibre machine gun 1 ventral .30 calibre machine gun 1,080 lbs of bombs in bomb bay ----------------------- In 1936, the Soviet Union purchased four three-seat V-11-GB aircraft, together with a production license. The aircraft entered Soviet production in 1937 as the BSh-1 (Bronirovanny Shturmovik), but the armour fitted for the ground attack role unacceptably reduced performance and production was stopped after 31 aircraft. They were transferred to Aeroflot and redesignated PS-43 for use as high speed transports until the German invasion in 1941, when they were returned to the Air Force for liaison purposes.
In the late 1930s, the United States Army Air Corps was favoring twin engine light attack aircraft but seven YA-19 aircraft were ordered in the summer of 1938 for comparison purposes. The YA-19s were armed with six .30 in (7.62 mm) machine guns and 1,080 lb (490 kg) bombs in an internal bomb bay, powered by a 1,200 hp (895 kW) Twin Wasp radial engine and was manned by a crew of three - pilot, observer/gunner, and bombardier/photographer. An interesting feature of the YA-19 design was its horizontal stabiliser located forward of the vertical tail. The small size of the vertical stabilizer caused some directional instability (about the yaw axis) so the last YA-19 (S/N 38-555) was equipped with enlarged vertical stabilizer. Service tests showed that twin engine attack aircraft were faster, could be better armed and carried a larger bomb load so no further YA-19s were ordered. After comparison tests five YA-19s were redesignated A-19 and assigned to the 17th Attack Group at March Field in California for a brief period before being transferred to the Panama Canal Zone for utility transport and liaison duties. The A-19 never saw combat and was quickly replaced in the early 1940s.
The Bolkhovitinov S (Sparka – twin/joined (engine)) was a high speed bomber aircraft designed and built in the USSR from early in 1937.
The plane was conceived as a fast light bomber and reconnaissance plane. To obtain high speed and good aerodynamics, it was powered by two M-103 inline engines in tandem in a fuselage nose, driving two contra-rotating coaxial three-blade propellers. The design had quite unusual look, with long fuselage nose and a crew cab moved rearwards, towards double tailfin. Wings had a fighter-like form and their span was rather short.
The VVIA under Bolkhovitinov was enlarged to tackle the expected problems in the design of the Bolkhovitnov S.
The rear engine was geared to two high-speed shafts which passed either side of the forward engine to drive the rear propeller gearbox, whilst the forward engine and gearbox drove the forward propeller via shaft through the middle of the rear propeller gearbox. The structure of the S was predominantly light alloy stressed skin, the wing having two spars with heavy flush-rivetted upper and lower skins, and the fuselage built up from pre-formed upper, lower and side panels attached to four longerons to give a strong but relatively simple structure to build.
General characteristics Crew: 2 Length: 13.2 m Wingspan: 13.8 m Wing area: 26 m2 Gross weight: 5,652 kg Powerplant: 2 × Klimov M-103, 715.9 kW each Maximum speed: 570 km/h Range: 700 km Armament 1 x 7.62mm ShKAS machine gun on a flexible mount in rear cockpit. Later 2 x 12.7mm UBT machine gun on a flexible mount in rear cockpit. 400 kg of bombs vertically stored in bomb bay between cocpits
A total of 29 electrical actuators drove the Fowler Flaps, undercarriage, (rotating 90deg to lie flat in the wing), exit flap of the large common radiator duct and many other services. The tail unit consisted of twin fins with rudders attached to the tips of the tailplane, variable geared elevators and separate servo and trim tabs on elevators, and rudders. Detail design of the aircraft began in 1937 and construction in July 1938. The first prototype S-1 was built in 1939, but it was made in order to evaluate an airframe only and therefore was powered by only one engine M-103. It was unarmed and fitted with a fixed skid landing gear. It first flew on January 29, 1940, with B.N. Kudrin at the controls.
A maximum speed was 400 km/h. The second prototype S-2 was powered by two engines and was armed with a single machinegun and bombs. Four 100 kg bombs were carried vertically in a bay between pilot and a rear gunner-navigator, under a common canopy. Its state testing started from March 20, 1940 and lasted until July 1940. A maximum speed reached was 570 km/h. The plane had good handling, except for take-off and landing, which were difficult due to high wing loading. Its range and speed were also lower, than estimated. As a result, it was decided to improve the plane further. However, the plane was not developed in a favour of next Bolkhovitinov designs.
It was first planned to build also an attack plane with 2 Ultra-ShKAS machineguns with a high rate of fire, in a rear part of fuselge, firing downwards and manned by a second crew member. Also an interceptor aircraft was proposed, armed with 37 mm recoilless rifle, firing upwards, at an angle and manned by two crewmen. The plane had no official designation given. It was mostly known as S - sparka (otherwise explained as spartak, skorost (speed) or Stalin), also known as BBS - blizhniy bombardovshchik skorostnoi (close-range fast bomber), BB - bombardovshchik Bolkhovitinova, LB-S - legkiy bombardovshchik sparka (light bomber paired), SSS - svyerkhskorostnoi samolet (very fast aircraft).
The Mil Mi-1 (USAF/DoD reporting name "Type 32", NATO reporting name "Hare"[3]) was a Soviet three- or four-seat light utility helicopter. It was the first Soviet helicopter to enter serial production. It is powered by one 575 hp Ivchenko AI-26V radial. It entered service in 1950 and was first seen on the 1951 Soviet Aviation Day, Tushino and was produced for 16 years. More than 1,000 were built in the USSR and 1,594 in Poland, as SM-1.
Mikhail Mil began work on rotary-winged aircraft before 1930, but the Mi-1, his first production helicopter, was begun in 1946, under a designation EG-1. In 1947 Mil became a head of OKB-4 design bureau in Tushino, and works were intensified. A final design was named GM-1 (for Gelikopter Mila). Its design owed much to the Sikorsky S-51 and Bristol 171, with almost identical main rotor to the British machine and similar shafting and clutch. The prototype completed first free flight on 20 September 1948 (pilot Mikhail Baikalov). In 1949 it underwent official state trials. Despite crashes of two prototypes, the design was an overall success, and after further work, was ordered for a production, under a new designation Mi-1, for Mil initials.
--------------------------------- General characteristics Crew: One Capacity: 2 passengers or 255 kg of cargo Length: 12.09 m Rotor diameter: 14.35 m Height: 3.30 m Disc area: 161.7 m² Empty weight: 1,700 kg Loaded weight: 2,140 kg Max. takeoff weight: 2,330 kg Powerplant: 1 × Ivchenko AI-26V radial engine, 429 kW / 575 hp Maximum speed: 185 km/h Range: 430 km Service ceiling: 3,500 m Rate of climb: 5.3 m/s Disc loading: 13 kg/m² Power/mass: 0.20 kW/kg
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Mil Mi-1 on kevyt neuvostoliittolainen helikopteri, jonka suunnittelu alkoi Mihail Mil toimistossa vuonna 1947. Prototyypin GM-1 ensilento tapahtui 20. syyskuuta 1948. Mi-1-kopterin tuotanto alkoi 8. heinäkuuta 1951 ja jatkui vuoteen 1964. Puolassa helikopteria rakennettiin lisenssiversiona SM-1. Näiden maiden tuotanto oli 2 500 – 3 000 helikopteria. NATO-raportointinimi kopterille oli ”Hare”. Helikopteria käyttivät Afganistan, Albania, Algeria, Bulgaria, Kiina, Kuuba, Tšekkoslovakia, Saksan demokraattinen tasavalta, Egypti, Suomi, Unkari, Irak, Mongolia, Korean demokraattinen kansantasavalta, Puola, Romania, Neuvostoliitto ja Syyria.
Suomen ilmavoimat käytti neljää Mi-1-helikopteria tiedustelu-, yhteys- ja pelastushelikopterina vuosina 1961–1967. Niiden tunnukset olivat HK-1, HK-2, HK-3 ja HK-4, jotka olivat kaikki puolalaista valmistetta, tyyppejä SM-1/600 SZ ja SM-1/600 W. Ensimmäinen kopteri oli Neuvostoliiton lahja presidentti Urho Kekkosen 60-vuotisjuhlaan. Ne koottiin Ilmavoimien varikon halleilla Tampereella 11.1.–11.3.1961 välisenä aikana kolmen neuvostoliittolaisen insinöörin opastuksella.
-------------------------------- The production was initially limited—the first series of only 15 machines was ordered on 21 February 1950, in factory No.3 in Moscow. Only after presentation to Joseph Stalin in 1951, the authorities decided to increase production. In 1952–1953, 30 Mi-1 were manufactured in Kazan, and from 1954 a mass production started in Orenburg and from 1956 in Rostov (current Rostvertol). The design was a subject of further improvements during production, mostly increasing reliability. Especially a rotor technology was changing. Period between repair increased to 300 hours in Mi-1T (hence a letter T for trekhsotchasovoi), 600 in Mi-1A, then to 1,000 and 3,000 hours by the end of production.
Mil Mi-1M All early variants seated pilot in front and two passengers behind him, in common cabin. The first production variant was Mi-1, quickly replaced by improved Mi-1T, that carried extra operational equipment including full radio and blind-flying instruments, and had more reliable engine AI-26V. The next basic variant was the Mi-1A of 1957, with further increased reliability and provisions for one 160 l external fuel tank.
A new major variant, Mi-1M in 1957 introduced an enlarged cabin and the more powerful AI-26VF engine, which allowed the accommodation of three passengers on a bench behind the pilot. Cabin height increased from 1.22 to 1.26 m and width from 1.01 to 1.2 m. A noticeable difference was horizontal bottom windows being orthogonal instead of slanted, with bigger rear side windows, and a less pointed fuselage nose. It could also be fitted with two external side capsules for the injured or mail. There were trials of an armed anti-tank variant Mi-1MU carried in 1961, being the first Soviet attack helicopter, but it did not enter production due to having a small payload and the cessation of production of the basic variant.
Well over 1,000 of all variants were built in the USSR, including a proportion of dual-control trainers: Mi-1U, TU, AU, MU, with the instructor seated behind a trainee. 15 were produced in Moscow in 1950, 30 in Kazan in 1952–1953, 597 in Orenburg in 1954–1958 and 370 in Rostov in 1956–1960. In 1956 license-production of the four-seat model began in Poland, at WSK PZL-Świdnik, where 1,594 were built until 1965, under the designation SM-1. Several new versions were developed at Świdnik, including the SM-2 five-seater, with a new fuselage.
Several international records in its class were broken with the Mi-1 or SM-2.
The Kharkiv R-10 (KhAI-5), sometimes Neman R-10 was a Soviet reconnaissance and light bomber aircraft, designed in the mid-1930s in the Kharkiv Aviation Institute (KhAI, - in Ukrainian: ХАІ), under the direction of Iosif Grigorevich Nyeman (sometimes written as Neman).
The first prototype of the plane, with a factory designation KhAI-5 (ХАІ-5), flew in June 1936. Despite a lower performance, the aircraft won a contest against another reconnaissance plane design, the Kochyerigin R-9, and was accepted for a production with the military designation R-10 ('R' indicated razvyedchik meaning reconnaissance in Russian). It was a modern design for the time. 493 R-10s were manufactured in the Kharkiv and Saratov aviation plants by early 1940. The first series showed some teething problems, which resulted in Iosif Nyeman being arrested by the NKVD on December 11, 1938 under the accusation of sabotage and espionage, a common accusation at the time.
In 1938 a variant, the KhAI-5bis was tested with an M-25E engine, achieving a speed of 425 km/h (264 mph). In 1938, the KhAI-52 ground attack aircraft, based on the R-10, was also developed. It was powered by an Shvetsov M-63 670 kW (900 hp) radial engine and armed with seven machine guns and 400 kg (880 lb) bombs. A production run of an experimental series of 10 aircraft was prepared, but it was cancelled with Nyeman's arrest. Some production R-10s were fitted with more powerful Tumansky M-88, Shvetsov M-62 and M-63 engines. Over 60 aircraft, withdrawn from the Air Force, were used from 1940 as mail carriers by Aeroflot, under the designation PS-5 (Russian: ПС-5), with 3 passenger seats.
The aircraft entered service in the Soviet Air Force in 1937, replacing some Polikarpov R-5s. R-10s were first used in combat in the 1939 Soviet-Japanese Battle of Khalkhin Gol. Then, they were used in the initial stage of the World War II, starting with use against Poland in the Invasion of Poland (without combat encounters) and against Finland in the Winter War (1939–1940).
R-10s were next used in the first period of the German-Soviet war, following the German attack on June 22, 1941. By this time, they were outdated and suffered heavy losses, as did the rest of the Soviet Air Force. Many planes were destroyed on the ground. They were used as tactical reconnaissance aircraft, and, in need, also as light bombers. Later many were used as night bombers, to reduce losses from opposing fighters. The remaining R-10s were withdrawn from combat service in 1943 although two Finnish pilots claimed R-10s in 1944.
The aircraft was conventional in layout, with low mounted, plywood-covered wooden wings. The fuselage was of semi-monocoque construction. The undercarriage retracted into the wings. The crew consisted a pilot and an observer/rear gunner in a turret with a single machine gun. In the observer compartment's floor there was an AFA-13 camera for reconnaissance duties. Between the crew compartments there were fuel tanks and a vertical bomb bay. The maximum bomb load was 300 kg (660 lb) (6 × 50 kg (110 lb) or 10 × 25 kg (55 lb) bombs). The plane was powered by various variants of the Shvetsov M-25 and related M-63 radial engines, a development of the Wright R-1820 built under licence, which spun an all-metal two-bladed Hamilton Standard variable-pitch propeller.
Operators Soviet Air Force General characteristics Crew: 2 Length: 9.3 m Wingspan: 12.2 m Wing area: 26.8 m2 Empty weight: 1,823 kg Gross weight: 2,515 kg Fuel capacity: 260 kg (573 lb) fuel + 30 kg (66 lb) oil Powerplant: 1 × Shvetsov M-25 9-cyl. a-c radial piston engine531 kW (712 hp) (license-built Wright SGR-1820-F-3 Cyclone) Propellers: 2-bladed Hamilton Standard two-pitch propeller Maximum speed: 350 km/h at sea level 388 km/h (241 mph) at 2,500 m Landing speed: 125 km/h Range: 1,450 km Service ceiling: 7,700 m Time to altitude: 1,000 m in 2 minutes 24 seconds 5,000 m (16,404 ft) in 12 minutes Take-off distance: 250 m Landing distance: 230 m Guns: 2 x fixed forward firing 7.62 mm ShKAS machine-guns 1 x manually aimed ShKAS machine-gun in the rear turret Bombs: 6 x 50 kg (110 lb) FAB 50 bombs in internal bays
The PZL.23 Karaś was a Polish light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft designed in the mid-1930s by PZL in Warsaw. It was the primary Polish reconnaissance bomber in use during the Invasion of Poland. The aircraft was developed in 1931 to replace Breguet 19 and Potez 25 aircraft in the Polish Air Force. Designer Stanisław Prauss based the new recon bomber on a proposed passenger transport plane that never saw into production, the PZL.13.
The PZL.23 design was a modern all-metal body with wings built around light closed profiles instead of spars (introduced first in PZL.19). The P.23/I first prototype flew on 1 April 1934, followed by the second P.23/II prototype. In the third P.23/III prototype of 1935, the pilot's seat was raised and the engine lowered to improve sight lines. This prototype was accepted for production, with the name Karaś (in Polish - the crucian carp). The first series, PZL.23A was fitted with a Bristol Pegasus IIM2 radial engine of 670 hp (500 kW) produced in Poland under licence. Since this engine proved to be unreliable, the final variant PZL.23B was fitted with a newer Pegasus VIII of 720 hp (537 kW).
The aircraft was a low-wing cantilever monoplane of all-metal, metal-covered construction. The crew of three consisted of a pilot, a bombardier, and a rear gunner. The bombardier's combat station was situated in a gondola underneath the hull, where he could also operate an underbelly machine gun. The fixed undercarriage was well spatted, but despite a massive look, it was not suited for rough airfields. Bombs were carried under the wings: the maximum load was 700 kg (1,500 lb) (6 x 100 kg and 2 x 50 kg). The aircraft were equipped with one of the following engines: Bristol Pegasus IIM2 normal: 570 hp (425 kW), maximum: 670 hp (500 kW) - PZL.23A; Pegasus VIII normal: 650 hp (485 kW), maximum: 720 (537 kW) - PZL.23B. Regardless of the engine, the aircraft had a two-blade propeller.
The Bristol engines were licensed for use in Poland only, so for export purposes the Gnome-Rhône 14K was used in a variety of PZL designs. In this case the 14K-powered PZL.23, with some changes to the airframe, became the PZL.43 Karaś. Final export variant was PZL.43A, with 1,020 hp Gnome-Rhone 14N-01 engine. 52 PZL.43s were made in total, all for Bulgaria only. The new engine improved the aircraft's performance considerably, maximum speed increased to 365 km/h. ------------------------------------------------------
PZL.23 Karaś (suom. ruutana) on puolalainen kevyt toisen maailmansodan aikainen pommikone, jota käytettiin myös tiedusteluun ja Puolan armeijan yhteyskoneena. Konetyyppi oli yksimoottorinen alataso, joka kehiteltiin 6-paikkaisesta P.13 -matkustajakoneesta. Ensimmäinen, noin 40 lentokoneen A-sarja valmistui Bristol IIM2 -moottorilla, jonka teho oli 590 hevosvoimaa. Koneen aseistuksena oli kolme 7,7 millimetrin konekivääriä, joista yksi ampui kiinteästi eteen, toinen vapaasti liikuteltavana taakse ylös ja kolmas sijaitsi ala-ampumossa, rungon alapuolisessa gondolissa. Pienestä 680 hevosvoiman (507 kW) moottoritehostaan huolimatta tyyppi kykeni kuljettamaan enimmillään 700 kg suuruisen pommikuorman. Niin kutsutun operatiiviseen käyttöön osoitetun B-sarjan PZL.23 käytti Bristol Pegasus VIII -tähtimoottoria voimanlähteenään.
PZL.23 oli hidas ja kömpelö, sen moottori alimitoitettu ja puolustusaseistus heikohkoa. Siten se oli helppo saalis saksalaisten aseille salamasodan aikana. Laskeutumistelineet olivat kiinteätä muotosuojallista mallia. Suurin nopeus oli 300 km/h ja lentomatka 1 400 kilometriä. Lakikorkeus oli 7 300 metriä. Konetyyppiä valmistettiin arviolta 250 kappaletta. Humblen mukaan tyyppi oli Puolan pääasiallinen pommikonetyyppi, sekä kärsi kovimpia menetyksiä taistelutoimissa. Osa tämän tyypin koneista internoitiin Romaniaan Puolan puolustuksen romahtaessa syksyllä 1939. ------------------------------------------------- n 1936, 40 PZL.23As were produced. Between late 1936 and February 1938, 210 PZL.23Bs were produced with the new engines. They were also known as Karaś A and B or Karaś I and II. All PZL.23s had military numbers from 44.1 to 44.250.Sometimes the aircraft is called the "PZL P.23", but despite an abbreviation P.23 painted on a tail fin, the letter "P" was generally reserved for fighters of Pulawski's design (like PZL P.11). In November 1936, one aircraft was shown at the Paris Air Show, where it was met with interest.
During this period, PZL developed the PZL.46 Sum, a new light bomber, partly based on the PZL.23 design, but only two prototypes were completed in 1938. There was also a single experimental variant of the Karaś, PZL.42, with double tail fins and a modified bombardier gondola, retractable into the fuselage. Forty PZL.23As were delivered to the Polish Air Force in late 1936. Due to engine faults, their service ceiling was limited and they were used only in the training role, being fitted with dual controls. A total of 210 PZL.23Bs were delivered to the Air Force from 1937. They became the main armament of Polish bomber and reconnaissance "line squadrons", in the 1930s replacing Breguet 19, Potez 25 and Potez 27 biplanes. By August 1939, there had been 23 reported crashes, an average safety result.
By 1939, the aircraft was obsolescent. The main deficiency was its low speed but a lack of maneuverability also proved a problem (the maximum speed of the PZL.23B was 365 km/h, but it was forbidden to exceed 319 km/h due to dangerous flight characteristics). However, at the outbreak of World War II on 1 September 1939, during the invasion of Poland, it remained Poland's primary light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. Some PZL.23s were also used in wartime improvised units with 114 PZL.23Bs deployed in combat units (a further 75 PZL.23B and 35 PZL.23A were in air schools, held in reserve or under repair). The PZL.23Bs were operational in five bomber squadrons (Eskadra Bombowa) of the Bomber Brigade and seven Army reconnaissance squadrons, each with 10 aircraft (other squadrons of the Bomber Brigade were equipped with PZL.37 Łoś). In addition two PZL.43A from the Bulgarian order were impressed into the Polish service in the 41st Squadron. On 2 September 1939, one PZL.23B of the 21st Squadron bombed a factory in Ohlau, the first bomb attack on the German Third Reich. The PZL.23 bomber squadrons also attacked German armoured columns, especially on 3 September 1939, while the main mission of the Army squadrons was reconnaissance. The five squadrons of the Bomber Brigade delivered about 52-60 tons of bombs during the campaign, the Army squadrons added about another dozen tons.
Due to the plane's low speed, light armour and (most importantly) lack of fighter protection, PZL.23s suffered heavy combat losses. Many were shot down by German fighter aircraft, but they also shot down several in return. Despite the lack of armour, crews often attacked German columns from low level, making their aircraft vulnerable to AA fire. Some 20 aircraft were lost in crash landings on the improvised and rough airfields. About 120 PZL.23s (86%) were destroyed in 1939, but only 67 due to direct enemy action. And only a small number were destroyed on airfields, with the only large scale Luftwaffe success of this type occurring on 14 September, at Hutniki airfield, against PZL.23Bs of the Bomber Brigade.
At least 21 PZL.23s were evacuated in 1939 to Romania with 19 used by the Romanian Air Force against the USSR. 50 PZL.43s and PZL.43As (two were delivered by the Germans) were used in Bulgaria for training until 1946, known as the "Chaika". No PZL.23s survived the war. General characteristics Crew: 3 Length: 9.68 m (31 ft 9 in) Wingspan: 13.95 m (45 ft 9 in) Height: 3.3 m (10 ft 10 in) Wing area: 26.8 m² (288 ft²) Empty weight: 1,928 kg (4,251 lb) Loaded weight: 2,813 kg (6,202 lb) Max. takeoff weight: 3,428 kg (7,557 lb) Powerplant: 1 × PZL Bristol Pegasus IIM2 9-cylinder radial engine, 670 hp (500 kW) Maximum speed: 304 km/h (189 mph) Cruise speed: 240 km/h (149 mph) Stall speed: 110 km/h (68 mph) Range: 1,260 km (783 mi) Service ceiling: 7,300 m (23,950 ft) Rate of climb: 6.5 m/s (1,280 ft/min) Armament: 3 x machine guns: 1 x 7.92 mm PWU wz.33 fixed in nose; 1 x 7.92 mm Vickers F in rear upper station; 1 x 7.92 mm Vickers F in underbelly station; Bombs: 700 kg (1,543 lb) bombs.
The Douglas TB2D Skypirate (also known as the Devastator II) was a torpedo bomber intended for service with the United States Navy's Midway- and Essex-class aircraft carriers; it was too large for earlier decks. Two prototypes were completed, but the dedicated torpedo bomber was becoming an outdated concept, and with the end of World War II, the type was deemed unnecessary and cancelled.
In 1939, Douglas designers Ed Heinemann and Bob Donovan began work on a VTB Proposal to replace the TBD Devastator torpedo bomber. In 1942, the team led by Heinemann and Donovan began work on a new project named the "Devastator II". On 31 October 1943, just four days after the new Midway class aircraft carriers were ordered into production, Douglas received a contract for two prototypes, designated TB2D, receiving the official name: "Skypirate".
The TB2D was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major driving contra-rotating propellers. Four torpedoes or an equivalent bomb load could be carried on underwing pylons. Defensive armament consisted of two 20 mm (.79 in) cannon in the wings and .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns mounted in a power-operated dorsal turret. Very large for a single-engined aircraft, the TB2D would have been the largest carrierborne aircraft at the time; it could carry four times the weapon load of the Grumman TBF Avenger. With only limited support from the US Navy, and facing a recommendation for cancellation on 20 May 1944 due to the aircraft being designed only for the CVB and CV9 carriers, the TB2D project was in peril even at the design and mockup stage.
The two "Skypirate" prototypes, BuNo 36933 and 36934, were ready for flight trials in 1945 with the first prototype XTB2D-1 flying on 13 March 1945. The second example had a 58 cm increase in the length of the fuselage, and flew later in summer 1945. Both prototypes were test flown without any armament. Despite the flying trials proceeding on schedule, the collapse of the Japanese forces in the Pacific along with delays in the Midway class, eliminated the need for the type and the 23 pre-production aircraft on order were subsequently cancelled. The flight trials were suspended and the two prototypes were eventually reduced to scrap in 1948.
General characteristics Crew: three Length: 14.02 m Wingspan: 21.34 m Height: 6.88 Wing area: 56.2 m² Empty weight: 8,348 kg Loaded weight: 12,948 kg Max. takeoff weight: 15,767 kg Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney R-4360-8 Wasp Major radial engine, 3,000 hp (2,238 kW) Maximum speed: 546 km/h Cruise speed: 270 km/h Range: 2,013 km Service ceiling: 7,450 m Rate of climb: 7.2 m/s Armament: 4 × wing mounted .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns 2 × 12.7 mm machine guns in dorsal turret 1 × 12,7 mm machine gun in ventral bath Bombs: Up to 3,810 kg of bombs or four torpedoes
