Helwan HA-300
Template:Infobox Aircraft The Helwan HA-300 (Arabic: حلوان ٣٠٠) was a fighter aircraft developed in Egypt during the 1960s. It was designed by the German aircraft engineer Willy Messerschmitt and Hispano Aviación. Originally the plane was intended to be a small interceptor for the Spanish Air Force, but the project was transferred to Egypt. There were three prototypes built before termination of the project in 1969.
The first prototype was restored in 1991 and is now located in the Deutsches Museum in Munich.[1]
Design and development
Origin
After World War II, Willy Messerschmitt (as a German citizen) was prohibited against undertaking any research or development regarding defense purposes for the German military, including manufacturing aircraft, until 1955. He moved therefore to Spain to set up the aviation company, Hispano Aviación and started designing an ultra light fighter aircraft in 1951.[2] The development was very slow and Messerschmitt was only able to build a delta shaped plywood glider without a tail. Towed by a He-111, the test flight for the glider wasn't completed due to instability and the airplane didn't even get airborne. Due to funding problems and the resultant long development time, the project was abandoned by the Spanish in 1960.[3]
The design was then acquired by Egypt and the design team, headed by Messerschmitt, moved to Helwan, Egypt to continue their work on the HA-300, which now stood for Helwan Aircraft 300.[1] Ferdinand Brandner, an Austrian jet engine expert, was also invited to develop a turbojet for the new fighter. Egypt aimed to produce a lightweight supersonic, single-seat fighter which could join the Egyptian Air Force as an interceptor.[4]
HA-300
Development of the HA-300 started in the test facilities and workshops in Factory No. 36 in Helwan, southeast of Cairo, under the supervision of the Egyptian General Aero Organisation (EGAO). The HA-300 was originally designed for the afterburning Orpheus BOR 12 turbojet, but it was then modified for the Brandner E-300 engine, which would have an afterburning rating of 4,800 kgp. India also helped in the funding of the E-300 jet engine in exchange for a new powerplant for its HF-24 Marut.[1] The E-300 jet engine ran for the first time in July 1963. [3]
The first prototype of the HA-300, powered by a 2,200 kgp Orpheus Mk 703-S-10, first flew on 7 March 1964,[5] and achieved Mach 1.13.[6] Egypt sent two Egyptian pilots to India in 1964 to prepare for the HA-300 flight development.[1] It was followed by a second Orpheus-powered prototype which first flew on 22 July 1965. The third and last prototype was fitted with the Egyptian E-300 engine, with which it would be capable of attaining 12,000 m and Mach 2.0 within 2.5 min of takeoff. This prototype was not flight-tested and only completed taxiing trials.[2]
A total of 135 million Egyptian pounds was spent on the development, and the E-300 engine was given to the Indian government for the use in the HF-24 Marut fighter.[3]
Termination
After the Six-Day War defeat, Egypt needed most of its military budget for acquiring new aircraft and air defenses and so, due to this and the availability of Russian fighters, the Egyptian government terminated the project in may 1969.[4][2]
Survivors
The first HA-300 prototype was bought by Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG (DASA) in 1991 and was airlifted to Germany for restoration at Manching. The process took MBB five and a half years to complete and today the HA-300 is in the Deutsches Museum in Munich.[1]
Specifications (HA-300)
General characteristics
- Crew: one
- Wingspan: 5.84 m
- Length: 12.40 m
- Height: 3.15 m
- Wing area: 16.70 m²
- Empty weight:2,100 kg
- Loaded weight: 5,443 kg
- Powerplant:
- 1 x Bristol Orpheus 703 or
- 1 x Brandner E-300 turbojet
Performance
- Maximum speed:
- low Altitude: Mach 1.7 (2,124 km/h)
- Normal Altitude: Mach 1.2 (1490 km/h)
- Practical range : 755 nmi (870 m, 1400 km)
- Service ceiling: 12,000 m
- Initial rate of climb: 203 m/s
Armament
- Guns:
- Two 30 mm Hispano or
- Four 23 mm Nudelmann-Suranov NS-23 cannon
- Missiles: Four infra-red homing air-to-air missiles
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Group Captain Kapil Bhargava. "Messerschmitt's HA-300 and its Indian Connection". MEMOIRS. Indian Air Force. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
- ^ a b c "Hispano Aviácion HA 300". EADS N.V. 2008-07-20. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
- ^ a b c Ace (2006-12-10). "The Egyptian Helwan HA - 300". Aviationfans. Retrieved 2008-08-08. Cite error: The named reference "History" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b Mohamed Bahaa (2007-11-28). "Helwan-300: The Egyptian Interceptor Project". Aviation Articles. www.e-sac.org. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
- ^ Group Captain Kapil Bhargava. "Eyewitness to the Six-Day War". THE SIXTIES. Indian Air Force. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
- ^ "Helwan HA-300". FLUG REVUE. 1998-07-14. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
External links
