- Yes
- No
Part of the Yugoslav Air Tree suggestion
Introduction:
The Zmaj R-1 is a twin-engine bomber-reconnaissance plane prototype made by the Zmaj company for the Royal Yugoslav Air Force in 1940. It was the heaviest armed of the three pre-war Yugoslav bombers with 20mm cannons and machine guns, as well as 1600 kg of bombs in total. The R-1 was damaged in test flights and did not see service in Yugoslavia.
Specifications:
Crew: 3 (attack config.) or 4 (bomber config.)
Dimensions:
Length: 12.78 m
Wingspan: 14.40 m
Height: 2.50 m
Wing area: 33.8 m²
Mass
Empty: 2,600 kg
Max. take-off: 5,664 kg
Propulsion
Engine: 2 x Hispano-Suiza 14AB
Power: 2 x 552 kW (740 hp)
Performance
Max. speed: 450 km/h
Cruise speed: 320 km/h
Climb rate: 333 m/min (5.55 m/s)
Flight ceiling: 10,000 m
Range: 1000 km
Armament
Offensive: 2 x 20mm Oerlikon FF (80 rpg), 2 x 7.92mm Browning FN (300 rpg)
Defensive: 2 x 7.92mm Browning FN in a ventral turret (300 rpg)
Suspended: 1600 kg of free-falling bombs
History:
The Zmaj R-1 project was conceived in 1936 by Dušan Stankov (who later worked on the post-war Ikarus 215), in the Zmaj factory. It was a bomber-reconnaissance aircraft, similar to the contemporary R-313 and Orkan designs at the time. After tests in the Warsaw wind tunnel in 1938, it was accepted by the Royal Yugoslav Air Force Command with the official designation Zmaj R-1. Stankov was joined by Đorđe Ducić and other young engineers in the effort to complete the design and build a prototype, finishing it just before the start of an aeronautical worker strike in April of 1940.
The material used for the plane was an aluminum alloy for the fuselage and wood for the wings and stabilizers. The three crew members specified were a pilot, a radio operator/photographer behind him, and a tail gunner even further behind (presumably, the fourth person for the bomber configuration is the bombardier). 1600 kilograms of bombs could be carried in an internal bay below the cabin.
The Zmaj R-1 first took flight on April 24, 1940 and met its expectations for flight performance. A landing gear failure on the third test flight forced the pilot to land the plane on its belly, damaging the propellers and the engines. Many of the parts, like the French Hispano-Suiza 14AB engines, were imported and so their delivery was delayed due to the Second World War. Eventually the plane was repaired and ready to fly again in March 1941, but soon after came the German invasion. The R-1 was damaged in April by the bombings of the Zemun airfield, and was dismantled for scrap by the Germans at the end of June.
Gallery:
Gallery
German soldiers inspecting the Zmaj R-1.
Sources: