- Yes.
- No.
- In a future Dutch/BeNeLux techtree.
- In the French BeNeLux sub-tree
- Other (Please explain in the comments).
- I said “No” in the first question.
Hello everyone! Today I’m going to suggest the Koolhoven F.K. 51 with the Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah engine for the Dutch Air Force!
More specifically, I’m suggesting the second-series of this aircraft. This one is armed with only a single machine gun unlike the third series that has two.
A Koolhoven F.K. 51 “Cheetah” of the 2nd-series
Source: Foto's
Quick note:
Koolhoven didn’t give the various F.K. 51 variants any special names, they were all simply called F.K. 51. In order to properly suggest the different variants, I’m including the engine type within Quotation Marks next to the F.K. 51 name. And in case of this Cheetah version there are also slight differences between the three series the aircraft was made in, so I’m also including the series number.
History
Spoiler
Side view of the Koolhoven F.K. 51 “Cheetah” of the 2nd-series
Source: IPMS Nederland - Koolhoven FK.51In the 1930’s almost the entire Dutch Air Force (Both homeland and colonial) were flying Fokker made aircraft. Just like Fokker, Koolhoven was also a Dutch aircraft builder so there was a strong rivalry between the two, however Koolhoven was a much smaller, more inexperienced, aircraft builder.
Koolhoven set out to make the F.K. 51 at their own expense, in the hopes of securing orders later when they had shown of the aircraft to the public. Not wanting to be outdone by Fokker, Koolhoven went from the frist sketch of the F.K. 51, to a fully working prototype in just 13 weeks!
The prototype first flew on the 25th of May 1935. In 1936 the aircraft would compete against a British Avro Type 621 ‘Tutor’ to see which one was the better aircraft. The F.K. 51 ended up winning and it was decided that the F.K. 51 would be produced for the Dutch Air Force.
The first order was for 10 F.K. 51’s fitted with the Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah IX engine just like the F.K. 51 Prototype had. These first 10 aircraft were for the Dutch “Luchtvaartafdeling” (LVA for short, it’s the Dutch Air Force that operated in the homeland of the Netherlands).
These first 10 aircraft are the onces we see as the 1st-series. They were unarmed trainer aircraft.
The LVA didn’t take long to make a second order of another 15 aircraft. These 15 were of the 2nd-series and were fitted with a single machine gun in the upper left wing.
Two Koolhoven F.K. 51’s “Cheetah” of the 2nd-series in a shallow dive
Source: Foto'sAnd that brings us to the topic of this suggestion. The 15 aircraft of the 2nd series were given the registration numbers 11 to 25. As training aircraft there isn’t a whole lot to talk about. By the time of the German invasion of the Netherlands, the Dutch Air Command was aware that the F.K. 51’s were to slow and lacked weaponry to really be used in the conflict, so they didn’t take any action during this time.
In the end almost all F.K. 51’s ended up getting destroyed during attacks, or were destroyed by their crews to avoid caputure.
A Koolhoven F.K. 51 “Cheetah” of the 2nd-series that has crashed
Source: Foto's
Design
Spoiler
The Koolhoven F.K.51 was a two-seat training biplane. The aircraft operated by the LVA were fitted with the Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah IX engine producing 350 hp.
The straight line speed of the aircraft was 253 km/h at 2280 meters.
The aircraft of the 2nd-series were armed with a single M.20 Lewis machine gun in the upper left wing. It’s not much but then again what did you expect of a trainer.
Specifications
Spoiler
Crew: 2 (One Pilot, and one Radio Operator/Gunner)
Length: 7.85 m
Wingspan: 9 m
Height: 2.85 m
Empty weight: 1,450 kg
Full weight: 1,600 kg
Powerplant: Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah IX (350 hp)
Maximum straight line speed: 253 km/h at 2280 meters
Service ceiling: 6,300 m
Armament
Guns:
1 × 7.9 mm M.20 Lewis machine gun
Ingame
Spoiler
As usualy with my Dutch vehicle suggestions, I ofcourse want to see this ingame in a Dutch or BeNeLux techtree. The F.K. 51 is a rather weak plane that could only work at the reserve tier of the game. I think it would be outplayed by pretty much everything there, but it’s still an important plane to have from an historical point of view. But I’ll be honest, there are other aircraft that would be better to add first, like the Koolhoven F.K. 56.
Personally I would love to see this in a Dutch/BeNeLux techtree. This aircraft could be at the start of a Rank 1 attacker line in my opinion. But let me know where you would like to see this ingame in the poll above!
Ofcourse the BeNeLux has been added to France, so this is now the only option where Dutch Aircraft will go to. But it must be said that the Netherlands and France have nothing in common, and do not make sense to combine together ingame.
A formation of 2nd-series Koolhoven F.K. 51’s “Cheetah”, together with a single 1st-series
Source: Foto's
So there you have it! Please make sure to vote in the poll above, and let me know what you think of this little fighter aircraft!
Sources
Spoiler
Main sources:
- “Koolhoven, Nederlandse vliegtuigbouwer in de schaduw van Fokker” book by Theo Wesselink & Thijs Postma
- Koolhoven F.K.51 - TracesOfWar.nl
Secondairy sources:
Extra sources:
Photos: