- Yes
- No
B 4A: Hawker Hart
Summarized Background History:
The B 4A, also known as the Hawker Hart, is a licensed-produced light bomber built primarily by ASJA (Svenska Järnvägsverkstädernas Aeroplanavdelning). Everything started in the early 1930s when the Swedish Air Force was looking to replace their older reconnaissance aircraft, the S 6 (Fokker C.V). The Swedish Air Force became interested in the Hawker Hart during a demonstration flight in 1932, and in the same year, they decided to order four additional Harts for testing and purchased the rights for licensed production for 2,000 British pounds (~175,000 British pounds in today’s value).
The original intention for the Swedish Hawker Hart was for it to be used as a reconnaissance aircraft, for which it received its first designation, S 7. The Swedish Air Force ordered 9 Hawker Harts to be license-produced in 1933, after returning the test aircraft to the United Kingdom. When the first licensed-produced Hawker Harts entered service. The Swedish Air force performed various of flight tests of the aircraft during the summer of 1934. They came to see that the aircraft proved to be very effective at dive bombing. So they began to perform around 700 different vertical dives tests against fixed and towed targets. Which they recorded a dive speed of approximately 400 km/h.
After addressing various faults and mechanical errors that occurred during these tests, and with the results deemed good enough, the Swedish Air Force decided to change the aircraft’s role from reconnaissance to dive bombing. Since the Hawker Hart was not originally designed for dive bombing, modifications were made during the production of the aircrafts for certain parts: In order to minimize mechanical errors and stress on the airframe.
Several more Hawker Harts were license-produced throughout the 1930s by different manufacturers: ASJA (Svenska Järnvägsverkstädernas Aeroplanavdelning), CFM (Centrala Flygverkstaden Malmslätt), and Götaverken. It was also during this time that the aircraft’s role changed, leading to a new designation: B 4A.
The aircraft served in the Swedish Air Force throughout the 1940s, but by 1941, it was already considered outdated for its role. It was increasingly used for target towing and liaison flights. By October 1942, the Swedish Air Force stopped using the B 4 as a bomber, though it wasn’t until 1947 that the last B 4s were retired from service.
B 4A During the Winter war:
While many Swedish aircraft did not see any form of conflict throughout their respective service time due to Swedish neutrality, the B 4A was one of the few examples of aircraft that saw direct action. When the Winter War broke out between Finland and the Soviet Union on November 30th, 1939, Sweden, though a neutral country, assisted Finland by lending weapons, ammunition, and various other equipment.
The Swedish government also allowed volunteers to go and fight for Finland. A special committee was created to form a volunteer force under the slogan: “Finlands sak är vår” (“Finland’s struggle is our struggle”). Around 8000 Swedish volunteers went to fight for Finland, including a portion of the Swedish Air Force, which created the temporary F 19 Swedish Voluntary Air Force.
F 19 was organized entirely by Swedish volunteer pilots and crew members, and the aircraft they used were directly supplied by the Swedish government. This included four B 4A Hawker Harts (later increased to five). The aircraft saw its first combat operations in January 1940 and flew various sorties until the end of the Winter War on March 13th, 1940. The B 4A saw limited success due to its minimal bomb load capacity and low flight speed; however, it proved successful in night bombing operations. In total, three of the B 4As were destroyed: one was shot down by Soviet pilots, and two were written off due to a collision accident.
Specifications:
| B 4A: Hawker Hart | |
|---|---|
| Weight (Empty Weight): | ~1400 Kilograms |
| Weight (Max Weight): | ~2300 Kilograms |
| Length: | 8.56 meters |
| Width: | 11,35 meters |
| Height: | 3.70 meters |
| Wing area: | 32.31 m² |
| Crew: | 2 crew members |
| Climb rate: | 1000 meters / 2.5 ~ 3 minutes |
| Max Speed: | 262 km/h (~400km/h when dive bombing) |
| Service ceiling: | ~6000 meters |
| Engine: | 1 x Mercury VII A NOHAB Pegasus engine: 675 hp |
| Max Range: | 835 km |
| Armament (Offensive): | 1 x 8mm ksp m/22Fh |
| Armament (Defensive): | 1 x 8mm ksp m/22-37R |
| Armament (Bombs): | External Bomb racks: 4 x 50kg, 12 x 12kg, 2 x 50kg and 12 x 12kg |
| Max Bomb load: | 224kg |
| Ammunition Capacity: | Offensive Armament: 500 rounds. Defensive Armament: 500 rounds |
| Number in Service: | B 4A: 42 |
Sources:
B4 Hawker Hart List of Accidents