Avia S-199
| Avia S-199 | |
|---|---|
 Israeli Avia S-199 , 1948 |
|
| Type: | Fighter plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
April 25, 1947 |
| Commissioning: |
1948 |
| Production time: |
1947-1951 |
| Number of pieces: |
603 |
The Avia S-99 and Avia S-199 were Czechoslovak fighter planes from the years after World War II . Like the original model Messerschmitt Bf 109 , they were cantilever low-wing aircraft in all-metal construction.
history
With the Czechoslovak post-war government closely aligned with the Soviet Union in the Kaschau program , there was no question that the Czechoslovak military command could equip their air force with Soviet aircraft, which is why General Vicherek contacted the relevant government offices in Moscow at the end of May 1945. However, the negotiations dragged on, so that it was not until 1949 that an agreement was reached on the license to build the Il-10 and the Jak-15 . A purchase of the Supermarine “Spitfire” LFMk.IX E in Great Britain that was being considered at the same time was dropped for political reasons. In this situation, the Czechoslovak military leadership decided to use cells and wings of the Bf 109G that had been left behind from war production at Avia in Prague-Čakovice and at the Diana facility on ČSR territory. The Bf 109G-14 variant and the Bf 109G-10 / U4 in the Diana facility, which were equipped with DB-605 engines, were manufactured in the Avia factory until the end of the war . Of the around 500 fuselages and 850 pairs of wings counted in November 1945, only around 160 fuselages and 380 pairs of wings were left at the start of production of the Avia C-10; the rest had been removed by the Red Army or stolen due to a lack of security. According to its own statements (which were assessed as not entirely reliable), Avia had material at its disposal at the end of 1946 to be able to manufacture around 200 Bf 109s. There were also around 70 machines that were more or less airworthy and collected as wrecks. Of both versions, however, only 21 single-seaters (C.10) and two double-seaters (C.110) were delivered in Čakovice until 1947. The airfield near Letov in Letňany (Prague) was only used as a landing pad during the incoming flights, since the Avia company airfield was too small. The first C.10 (originally the airframe of the Bf 109G-10, W.Nr.613156) flew for the first time on February 22, 1946. Among other things, the machine served in the years 1946–1947 at the VLÚ in Letňany under the registration number “V- 9 “for testing jump starters. In August 1947, new type numbers were assigned, the C.10 was now designated as the S-99 and the C.110 as the CS-99 . As early as June 1947, the delivery of the first training aircraft converted from single-seat cells with the C-110.503 began, which ended in September 1947 with the takeover of the CS-99.529. Some of these aircraft were later converted to CS-199. A total of 21 S-99 and 29 CS-99 were made.
The main reason for the low numbers was the destruction of a sugar refinery used as an ammunition store on July 31 in Krásné Březno ( Schönpriesen ) near Ústí nad Labem (see article Massacre of Aussig ), in which almost all DB-605 engines were stored. So it was decided to install the Junkers Jumo 211 F engine, which was still available in larger quantities . This required a number of adjustments, including relocating the charger air inlet to the right-hand side of the aircraft and adapting the synchronization of the machine guns firing through the propeller circle for the wider propeller blades of the VS-11 wood propellers. Since the Jumo 211 was not suitable for use with a motorized cannon, it was omitted. While some of the machines (around 100) stayed with this armament variant, others received two 7.92 mm MG vz.17 / 7.9N in the wings (around 250 machines) as a replacement for the lost firepower. From 1950 two 20-mm cannons vz.151 / 20N were used under the wings as an armament variant - the upgrade kit VI known from the Bf 109G. Only 78 sets of these cannons were available by the end of 1949, with the majority of these sets being branched off for the S-199 that were delivered to Israel. The resulting C-210.1 took off on April 25, 1947 at 2:32 p.m. with works pilot Petr Široky on board in Čakovice on its maiden flight. In September 1947 the S.199.2 followed and shortly afterwards the S-199.3. All three machines were prototypes and were used by Avia in cooperation with the VLÚ for test purposes (propeller, oil cooler, landing gear, cabin equipment). At the end of 1947, the MNO and Avia set the production figures for 1948. The Avia was to have 195 machines and Aero 116 machines. The following plants were to be used as suppliers: Letov (tail plants), the aircraft plant in Prague-Malešice (engines) and the Aero plant in Prague-Jinonice (VS 11 with propeller hubs). On February 2, 1948, the Czechoslovak military aviation forces took over the first S-199 (S-199.4). Various changes were made in the course of series production. The initially used oil cooler underneath the engine block, which was replaced by a heat exchanger from the 44th machine (Avia) or 8th machine (Aero), was striking. In addition, the hood, which was originally opened to the right, was replaced by a sliding hood and, among other things, the wheel suspension and wheel arches were changed. There is still no clarity about the total number of aircraft produced - if Redemann assumes 551 aircraft produced (by the end of 1951, with 422 aircraft being used by Avia and 129 by Letov), Miroslav Irra speaks of 533 aircraft (414 by Avia, 129 at Aero - provided that certain series blocks were actually manufactured, which cannot be proven with certainty). The last CS-199 (W.Nr.582) was handed over on September 22, 1950, the last S-199 (W.Nr.582) in 1951. Since the aircraft was intended as an interim solution from the start, it was put down with delivery of the first jet aircraft out of service until the mid-1950s.
The S-199 was called "Mezek" (mule) by the pilots because of its malicious flight behavior in slow flight, which can be traced back to the word " Me sserschmitt" and is said to come from the time of the Battle of Britain when Czech pilots in exile in the RAF fought against German Bf 109s. The critical take-off and landing characteristics resulting from the narrow-gauge landing gear and the large propeller could also have contributed to the naming. The S-199 flew with all squadrons of the Czechoslovak Air Force and with the Corps for National Security (SNB). Thus it was the most widespread piston engine fighter in the air force of the ČSR. 25 machines were exported to Israel , the price of one equipped machine was $ 190,000. The first group of future pilots of the Israeli Air Force received their training from the beginning of May to the end of July 1948 at the Planá airfield . Among them was the later Israeli President Ezer Weizman . Two other groups (first 32, then 16 men) received their training at the Pilot School III in Olomouc (formerly Olomouc). The first deployment of four Israeli S-199s took place on May 29, 1948, during the Palestine War against an Egyptian convoy. On June 3, 1948, the pilot Modi Alon was the first to shoot down two Egyptian C-47s with this type .
From 1949 to 1950 the two-seat training version CS-199 was created , of which a total of 82 copies were built. One copy has been preserved and can be viewed in the Kbely Aviation Museum .
Users
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Avia S-199 |
|---|---|
| length | 8.94 m |
| span | 9.92 m |
| Wing area | 16.50 m² |
| Empty mass | 2860 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 3736 kg |
| Top speed | 440 km / h near the ground 589 km / h at 6000 m altitude |
| Landing speed | 190 km / h |
| Max. Climb performance | 13.7 m / s near the ground |
| Summit height | 9500 m |
| Operational range | 850 km |
| Engine | a Junkers Jumo 211F |
| Starting power | 986 kW (1,341 hp) |
| Armament | two 20 mm MK under the wings two 13.1 mm MG above the engine |
Others
On May 24, 1948, the Czechoslovak Lieutenant František Novak of the 4th Fighter Regiment deserted with an S-199 and landed at the US Air Base Neubiberg . His aircraft with the identification KS – 10 (serial number 54) was then transported to the USA and subjected to some tests there. Over a year later it was returned to Czechoslovakia on July 13, 1949.
According to Czech sources, Novak had the rank of sergeant and the machine did not return to the Czech Republic by land until the end of March 1950.
See also
literature
- Hans – Jürgen Becker, Rudolf Höfling: Messerschmitt Bf 109 under foreign flags . Motorbuch, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-613-02670-8 .
- Miroslav Irra: Mezek, Avia S / CS-199 . Jakab, 2010, ISBN 978-80-87350-04-1 .
- Juillard Yann: Mezek . Salleck, Wattenheim 2011, ISBN 978-3-89908-417-7 .
- Alex Yofe, Lawrence Nyveen: Avia S-199 in Israeli Air Force Service 1948–1950 . White Crow, 2005, ISBN 0-9774627-1-4 .
Web links
- Speckmann: Messerschmitt with Star of David. In: zeit.de. Retrieved July 6, 2017 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Poruba / Janda: Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10 / U4, Production & Operational Service. JaPo, 2004, p. 12.
- ↑ Hans Redemann: Aviation history - Avia S-199, the last "hundred and nine". In: Flug Revue January 1979, p. 49.
- ↑ Dieter Hermann: The Bf 109 after the war. Under a foreign flag. In: Flugzeug Classic No. 03/2013, p. 21.
- ↑ Amitzur Ilan: The Origin of the Arab-Israeli Arms Race. Arms, Embargo, Military Power and Decision in the 1948 Palestine War. University Press, New York 1996, p. 169.
- ↑ José Fernandez / Patrick Laureau / Alex Yofe: Between Purchase and Conspiracy - The History of the Development of the Israeli Air Force - Part 1. In: Flieger Revue Extra No. 30, p. 32.
- ↑ Information board in the Kbely Aviation Museum
- ^ Rudolf Höfling: Airspace Violations: Germany and Austria . In: FLiEGERREVUE X . No. 61 . PPV Medien, Bergkirchen 2016, p. 56/57 .
- ↑ Miroslav Irra: "Mezek" Avia S / CS-199. Jakab, Bučovice 2010, Volume 1, pp. 40/41.