- Yes
- No
Part of the Yugoslav Air Tree suggestion
Introduction:
The Ikarus Orkan was a twin-engine, high-wing prototype for a light bomber built in pre-WWII Yugoslavia. Initially a private project, its construction was assigned by the Air Force to the Ikarus factory and it showed promise in its first flights in 1940. The prototype was captured by the Germans and never seen again.
Specifications:
Crew: 3
Dimensions:
Length: 10.00 m
Wingspan: 13.25 m
Height: 3.20 m
Wing area: 26.00 m²
Mass
Empty: 2,870 kg
Max. take-off: 4,500 kg
Propulsion
Engine: 2 x Fiat A-74 RC.38
Power: 2 x 617.65 kW (828 hp)
Performance
Max. speed: 545 km/h
Max. speed at sea level: 468 km/h
Combat range: 600 km
Range: 1.200 km
Flight ceiling: 11,000 m
Climbing speed: 900 m/min (15 m/s)
Armament
Offensive: 2 x 20mm Hispano HS.404 (60 rpg), 2 x 7.92mm Browning FN (250 rpg)
Defensive: 1 x 20mm Oerlikon FF in a dorsal turret, 1 x 7.92mm Browning FN in a ventral turret
Suspended: 4 x 106 kg Stanković bombs carried on 4 hardpoints (424 kg total bomb load)
History:
The Orkan (“Hurricane”) started as a private endeavor by Sava Momčilović and Dušan Radojković in 1937, to design a twin-engined light bomber. Momčilović was inspired by the design of the Italian Breda Ba.88 “Lince” to create a design with an aerodynamic shape and the wing placed high. In early 1938, a wooden model was tested in a Paris wind tunnel.
At the same time, the Royal Yugoslav Air Force took an interest in the design, as it did with the Orkan’s contemporaries, the R-313 and the Zmaj R-1. A contract was signed on March 14, 1938 assigning the production of the first prototype to the Ikarus factory in Zemun, which would provide the engines and armament for the plane.
The original plan called for Hispano-Suiza 14AB engines, but the outbreak of war led to France banning the export of war materiel and Ikarus resorted to the Fiat A-74 RC.38, an actually stronger engine from Italy. This set the deadline for the prototype back to 1940. The Orkan performed its first flight unarmed on June 24, 1940 but was damaged in landing and required repairs. Flight prformance was otherwise considered good. 13 test flights were completed before the outbreak of war in April 1941, when it was damaged by a German air raid. The Germans would later capture the prototype and send it on train back to the Reich for examination in September. From there, its traces disappear.
Gallery:
Gallery
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