Lublin R-XIII
| Lublin R-XIII | |
|---|---|
 Lublin R-XIIID |
|
| Type: | Military multipurpose aircraft |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
1931 |
| Commissioning: |
1932 |
| Number of pieces: |
273 |
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The Lublin R-XIII was a liaison, reconnaissance and training aircraft of the Polish Air Force from 1931. It was built by the company Plage i Laśkiewicz in Lublin . It was the main liaison aircraft of the Polish Air Force during the German invasion of Poland .
development
In 1927 the Polish Air Force put out a tender for a new liaison aircraft. It was supposed to take off from makeshift airfields and explore enemy positions. The PZL factory built the PZL Ł.2 in a series of 25 aircraft, while the private Plage i Laśkiewicz factory presented Jerzy Rudlicki's RX .
The competition was won by the R-XA . It had the shortest take-off and landing distance and performed better. However, they wanted to improve the design even further. Rudlicki was working on the R-XIV training aircraft and the R-XV reconnaissance aircraft . Number XIII had been left out for the time being out of superstition . In February 1930 the Polish Air Force ordered 15 R-XIVs. The first series machines were delivered in June 1930. The delivery lasted until July 1931. The R-XIV was a two-seater aircraft with a 220 HP radial engine and a fixed chassis. The crew members sat one behind the other in a double open cockpit. The R-XV was not ordered, instead a request was made to equip two R-XIVs with a machine gun for the observer. The tail unit had to be adapted for this. The first prototype received the designation R-XIII .
On July 21, 1931, 50 R-XIII aircraft were ordered. The first series consisted of 30 R-XIIIA , the following series consisted of 20 R-XIIIB . The difference lay in the assembly of the machine gun. Production and delivery to the Polish Air Force began on June 7, 1932 and ended on March 11, 1933.
In 1932 170 units were initially ordered, 48 of them R-XIIIC and 95 R-XIIID . Again, changes to the MG and the engine cowling were incorporated. The delivery took place from February 1933 to March 2, 1935. All old types A, B and C have been changed to type D.
In 1933 Rudlicki proposed a new design, the R-XXI . But she lost against the RWD-14 Czapla . There was only one prototype, the R-XXIE from 1934 with a Gnome-Rhône 7K Titan Major with 360 hp. Seven of the R-XIIIF with a Škoda G-1620a Mors I with 340 hp were built. The Polish government then planned to nationalize the aviation industry, and Plage I Laskiewicz went bankrupt at the end of 1935. It was nationalized and renamed Lubelska Wytwórnia Samolotów (LWS). 18 R-XIIIFs were bought and assembled at a low price, and 32 new machines were built. The new machines received a Wright engine with 220 hp, which, however, lowered the performance to the level of the R-XIIID.
In 1931 an R-XIV was tested as a seaplane and found to be good. In 1933 13 R-XIII bis / hydro were ordered. In 1934 six R-XIIIG seaplanes followed. All variants could also be equipped with a land chassis.
In 1933 a long -haul version R-XIIIDr was built for a flight to Australia. However, it crashed in Siam in 1935 . Some aircraft have been converted into sports machines and used in aviation clubs.
Twelve R-XIII were used for blind flight training. Others were converted into glider tow planes.
A total of 15 R-XIV and 273 R-XIII including 20 seaplanes were built.
Mission history
In the early 1930s, the R-XIII served its purpose quite successfully. It had a very short take-off (68 m for R-XIIIA) and landing path and could take off and land in fields and meadows. However, only part of the R-XIII was equipped with radio and a camera, which reduced its usability. Between 1932 and 1936 the R-XIII was the standard aircraft of the Polish Air Force. In 1939 part of the R-XIII was replaced by RWD-14b Czapla.
During the attack on Poland in September 1939, the Polish Air Force owned around 150 R-XIII. Of them, 49 were in combat units, 30 in reserve, about 30 in training units, and about 40 under repair. In the combat units, R-XIII were used in seven observation squadrons (out of 12): Nos. 16, 26, 6, 43, 46, 56 and 66. Each squadron had seven aircraft.
About 40 R-XIII were destroyed during the fighting. 17 machines were brought to Romania . Today there is no longer a machine.
Eleven R-XIII and R-XIIIg seaplanes were used in the navy in 1939. On September 8th, they were bombed by the German Air Force on the Hel peninsula . A machine tried to sink Schleswig-Holstein in a night raid on Danzig on September 7th .
variants
- Prototype R-XIII (conversion from R-XIV)
- R-XIIIa - 30 produced in 1931 (No. 56.2–56.31)
- R-XIIIb - 20 produced in 1932 (No. 56.32-56.51)
- R-XIIIc - 48 produced in 1933 (No. 56.52-56.99)
- R-XIIId - standard variant, 95 produced in 1933 (No. 56,102–56,196)
- R-XIIIe - a prototype 1934 with 360-PS- Gnôme-Rhône-7K- Titan Major (No. 56,100)
- R-XIIIf - with modified hull, part with 340-hp Škoda-G-1620a- Mors-I , 58 produced in 1934 (No. 56.101; 58.01–58.57)
- R-XIII bis / hydro - seaplane, 4 produced in 1931 (No. 700–703)
- R-XIII ter / hydro - seaplane, 10 produced in 1934 (No. 704–713)
- R-XIIIg - Seaplane, 6 produced in 1934 (No. 714–720)
- R-XIIIDr - long distance sport version, 1 piece (No. 56,51)
- R-XIIIt - training version, at least 12 built
- R-XIV - training version, 15 produced in 1930 (No. 54.1–54.15)
- R-XV - Army version of the R-XIV, not built
- R-XIX - a prototype 1932 (No. 56.1)
description
- mixed construction (steel and wood) of the hull
- High-decker made of plywood and canvas
- fixed chassis
- two open cockpits
- one or two machine guns
- Two-blade wood propeller
- 200 liter tank
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data Lublin R-XIIID |
|---|---|
| crew | 2 (pilot, observer) |
| length | 8.36 m |
| span | 13.25 m |
| height | 2.76 m |
| Wing area | 24.50 m² |
| Empty mass | 956 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 1330 kg |
| drive | 1 × Wright J-5 Whirlwind, 220 PS (162 kW) |
| Top speed | 185 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 4450 m |
| Range | 1223 km |
| Armament | 1 × Vickers MG or Lewis MG |
