Helwan HA-300
| Helwan HA-300 | |
|---|---|
 Helwan HA-300 |
|
| Type: | Fighter plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
March 7, 1964 |
| Commissioning: |
Flight tests ended in 1969 |
| Production time: |
Was never built in series |
| Number of pieces: |
3 |
The Helwan HA-300 was an Egyptian supersonic fighter aircraft from the 1960s.
history
In the early 1960s, the aircraft manufacturer Helwan Aircraft, which became part of the Egyptian General Aero Organization in 1962, bought the construction documents for the construction of a multi-purpose supersonic fighter with delta wings in lightweight construction from the Spanish aircraft manufacturer Hispano Aviación . With these documents, and the results from the testing of the glider tool Hispano HA-23P also came employees of Willy Messerschmitt , who designed the pattern into the country in order to build together with an Egyptian team, the fighter plane. In 1963, construction began on the first prototype, which had been adapted to the operating conditions in Egypt and had thus experienced significant differences compared to the original design. Originally the use of a British Bristol Orpheus 12 engine was planned for the series. After it became clear that this engine should not be further developed, the development of an E-300 jet engine with an installation mass of only 800 kg was started under the direction of the Austrian engine designer Ferdinand Brandner . However, this engine was not available in time, so that the first prototype V1 was still equipped with a Bristol Orpheus 703 engine (21.57 kN) on its maiden flight on March 7, 1964 with the Indian pilot Kapil Bhargava. This first flight lasted 12.5 minutes. The second prototype also received an Orpheus engine. Difficulties with the thin delta wings, the fuel supply and many other small technical problems delayed the project further and further.
After extensive tests on an An-12 in Egypt and an Indian HF-24 Marut , the E-300 engine was finally ready for use and should begin testing with the third prototype V3. This and the V4, which was also completed, never flew because engine problems arose again.
After it became clear to the Indian side that Egypt was not interested in purchasing the HF-24 but only in joint engine development, Indian support for the E-300 was discontinued. Therefore, in May 1969, the Egyptian government finally stopped the entire HA-300 project, especially since there were cheap offers from the Soviet Union to purchase already tried and tested military technology.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| length | 12.40 m |
| span | 5.84 m |
| height | 3.15 m |
| Wing area | 17.29 m² |
| Wing extension | ?,? |
| Empty mass | 4,823 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 5,500 kg |
| Top speed | 2.125 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 17,985 m |
| Range | 1,800 km |
| Engines | 1 × EGAO E-300 with 3,100 kp (4,400 kp with afterburner) |
| Armament (planned) | 2 × 20 mm cannons, missiles |
Received aircraft
The first prototype was made in 1991 from the Egyptian desert to Germany between 1993 and 1996 in the factory Manching the DASA restored. The aircraft is on display today at the Schleissheim aircraft yard .
See also
literature
- Werner L. Blasel: Flight back to the present. Publishing house Mittler & Sohn, ISBN 3-8132-0718-8 .
- Kapil Bhargava: Against all odds. Aerospace Testing International, June 2008, pp. 88-92.
Web links
- Helwan HA-300 in the Virtual Aircraft Museum
- Messerschmitt's HA-300 and its Indian Connection , Memoirs of Gp Capt Kapil Bhargava (Retd)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Flugwerft Schleißheim ( Memento from January 31, 2008 in the Internet Archive ): Hispano Aviacion HA-300 , accessed on April 9, 2009