Svenska Aero Jaktfalken

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Svenska Aero Jaktfalken
Svenska Aero Jaktfalken
Type: Fighter plane
Design country:

SwedenSweden Sweden

Manufacturer:

Svenska Aero

First flight:

1929

The Svenska Aero Jaktfalken ( German  Jagdfalke ) was a Swedish biplane fighter aircraft developed towards the end of the 1920s . The aircraft was initially built by Svenska Aero , later by the successor company ASJA

development

The Jaktfalken was designed by Svenska Aero as a private development. The company first asked the Swedish Aviation Authority for guidelines and wishes for the development of a fighter aircraft. However, since there was no answer, one looked at foreign constructions that should serve as a template.

The Jaktfalken was a conventional double-decker that was powered by a 9-cylinder Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar radial engine. The chassis was not retractable and only a fixed spur was attached to the stern. The trunk frame was covered with fabric. The front and the rear of the fuselage were planked with aluminum. The fuel tank, with a capacity designed for 2.5 hours of flight time, was located between the engine and the cockpit.

The test was carried out at the Barkarby air base near Stockholm by Nils Söderberg. After one of his flights, he is reported to have said that this was the best plane he had flown up to that point.

On November 11, 1929, the Jaktfalken was introduced to government and press representatives. The Swedish Aviation Authority decided to order three Jaktfalken and three British Bristol Bulldog II for comparison flights .

The prototype was bought by the Swedish Air Force on January 9, 1930 and was named J 5 . In February 1930 the aviation authority decided to declare the Bristol Jupiter as the standard engine of the Swedish Air Force. The designer Carl Clemens Bücker was forced to modify the two aircraft that had already been ordered, to develop a new engine mount and to revise the fuselage. These aircraft were called Svenska Aero Jaktfalken I (or J 6 within the Swedish Air Force). In the course of 1930 another order for 5 aircraft with Jupiter VII engines followed. Strong vibrations occurred during the test flights. Both Svenska Aero and Centrala Flygverkstaden i Västerås (CFV) of the Air Force tried unsuccessfully to remedy this problem. Nevertheless, the plane was approved by the Swedish Air Force. After delivery, Bücker and CFV began to rework the landing gear and the fuselage. The fuselage got a more angular shape and the Jupiter VIIF was chosen as the engine. The Swedish Air Force received two Jaktfalken II in this version in 1932.

Svenska Aero tried very hard to win export customers for the Jaktfalken. Military representatives from Brazil and Japan came to test the aircraft, but it did not result in any orders. Only Norway ordered an aircraft with an Armstrong Siddeley Panther IIIA engine in 1931 . This aircraft was used for comparison flights with a Hawker Fury . When the Swedish Air Force requested another seven aircraft in 1933, the company Svenska Aero had already been bought by ASJA , which now took over the delivery of the aircraft with minor changes to the tail unit and the windshield.

Versions

  • SA 11 Jaktfalken - prototype with Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar engine. One machine delivered to the Swedish Air Force as the J 5 .
  • SA 14 Jaktfalken I - With modified fuselage and Bristol Jupiter engine. Seven units were delivered to the Swedish Air Force as J 6s .
  • SA 14 Jaktfalken II - With again modified fuselage and landing gear, as well as Jupiter VIIF engine. Three units were delivered to the Swedish Air Force as J 6A .
  • SA 14E Jaktfalken II - Similar to SA 14 Jaktfalken II, but with Armstrong Siddeley Panther IIIA engine for Norway. An aircraft built and delivered.
  • SA 14 Jaktfalken II - built by ASJA with modified tail unit and modified windshield. Seven of them were delivered to the Swedish Air Force as J 6B .

Mission history

Use in Finland

Sweden handed over three Jaktfalken (two J 6B and one J 6A) to the Finnish Air Force in 1939 . These were the oldest aircraft of this type in Swedish inventory, and it was customary to sell the oldest equipment as military aid. These aircraft were used at the Kauhava airfield for training purposes until they were finally scrapped in 1945.

Use in Sweden

After purchasing a Svenska Aero Jaktfalken J 5 in 1930, the Swedish Aviation Authority decided to use the Bristol Jupiter as their standard engine.

Two more J 5s had already been ordered but not yet completed. Carl Clemens Bücker was now forced to redesign the front of the aircraft up to the fire bulkhead behind the engine in order to accommodate the new engine. The aircraft modified in this way was designated as the J 6.

In order to reduce costs and streamline production, Svenska Aero needed more orders. The aviation authority flygstyrelsen therefore suggested that the air force should buy another four aircraft.

The first flight of the J 6 took place in 1930. There were strong vibrations in the tail area. The aircraft was then taken to the CFV, where attempts were made to eliminate the vibrations by means of constructive measures. Although this did not succeed, the aircraft was cleared for use by the Air Force.

The third aircraft was completed in the fall of 1930. This aircraft also had strong vibrations. It crashed on the first test flight, killing test pilot Einar Lundborg . Einar Lundborg has been a national hero in Sweden since he saved the Italian polar explorer Umberto Nobile after an accident with his airship north of Spitsbergen in 1928 . The Lundborg aircraft accident therefore led to large protests against the leadership of the Swedish Air Force. An investigation committee was set up to clarify the cause of the accident. Two J 5 and five J 6 were handed over to the Air Force.

Bücker later changed the fuselage further, designed a new landing gear and used a Jupiter VIIF engine. The Swedish Air Force ordered three of these aircraft, which were designated J 6A . They were delivered in the summer of 1932 and stationed at the F 3 Malmslätt air force base. Between 1932 and 1934 all J 6 were relocated to Base F 1 and used there for training.

In May 1933 another seven aircraft were ordered. As early as 1932, Svenska Aero was bought by AB Svenska Järnvägsverkstadtas Aeroplanavdelning (ASJA). The aircraft continued to be produced there. The first aircraft was completed in November 1934. By June 1935, all seven aircraft had been delivered. The Swedish Air Force gave these aircraft the designation J 6B .

When all fighter planes were moved from the F 1 Västerås Air Force Base to the F 8 Barkarby base in October 1938, the Swedish Air Force still had seven J 6s that were used as training aircraft for fighter pilots. In the winter war of 1939–1940, three aircraft were handed over to Finland; the remaining aircraft were scrapped in 1941.

operator

Technical specifications

Parameter Data (Jaktfalken II)
crew 1
length 7.50 m
span 8.80 m (upper wing)
height 3.46 m
Wing area 21.8 m²
Empty mass 946 kg
maximum take-off mass 1470 kg
Engine a Bristol Jupiter VIIF with 388 kW (approx. 530 PS)
Top speed 310 km / h
Cruising speed 260 km / h
Summit height 7800 m
Armament 2 7.92 × 57 mm Mauser machine guns

literature

  • Timo Heinonen: Thulinista Hornetiin, Keski-Suomen ilmailumuseon julkaisuja 3 . 1992, ISBN 951-95688-2-4 .

Web links

Commons : Svenska Aero Jaktfalken  - collection of images, videos and audio files