Aero A.18

Aero A.18

Role	Fighter aircraft
National origin	Czechoslovakia
Manufacturer	Aero Vodochody
Designer	Antonin Vlasák Antonin Husnik
First flight	March 1923
Retired	1939 (due to German invasion)
Status	1 preserved at the Letecke Muzeum
Primary users	Czech Air Force Czech Aero Club
Produced	1920s
Number built	20

The Aero A.18 was a biplane fighter aircraft built in Czechoslovakia in the 1920s. It was a development of the Ae 02 and Ae 04 fighters Aero had designed during World War I, but also borrowed from the more recent A.11 reconnaissance-bomber design.

Design and development

The A.18 was designed by Antonin Vlasák and Antonin Husnik and first flew in March 1923; only one of three prototype fighters that Aero flew that year, but this one was selected for production over the A.19 and A.20 that competed with it.^[1]

Operational history

Twenty machines saw service with the Czech air force in the period between the wars.^[1]^[2]

The A.18B and A.18C were specially modified racing variants that competed in the Czech Aero Club's first two annual air races, in 1923 and 1924 respectively. Both aircraft won their races, and the A.18C is preserved at the Letecke Muzeum in Kbely along with a replica of a standard A.18 fighter.^[1]

Specifications (A.18)

Data from ^[1]^[2]

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 5.9 m (19 ft 4 in)
Wingspan: 7.6 m (24 ft 11 in)
Height: 2.86 m (9 ft 5 in)
Wing area: 15.9 m² (171 sq ft)
Empty weight: 637 kg (1,404 lb)
Gross weight: 862 kg (1,900 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × BMW IIIa 6-cyl. water-cooled in-line piston engine, 138 kW (185 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 229 km/h (142 mph; 124 kn)
Range: 400 km (249 mi; 216 nmi)
Service ceiling: 9,000 m (29,528 ft)
Rate of climb: 9.8 m/s (1,930 ft/min)

Armament

2× 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Vickers machine guns

Operators

Czechoslovakia

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aero A-18.

1 2 3 4 Green, William; Gordon Swanborough (1997). The Complete Book of Fighters. London: Salamander Books Limited. p. 10. ISBN 1-85833-777-1.
1 2 Sharpe, Michael (2000). Biplanes, Triplanes, and Seaplanes. London: Friedman/Fairfax Books. p. 16. ISBN 1-58663-300-7.

Aircraft produced by Aero Vodochody

1919-1938	Ae 01 Ae 02 Ae 03 Ae 04 Ae 10 A.11 A.12 A.14 A.15 A.17 A.18 A.19 A.20 A.21 A.22 A.23 A.24 A.25 A.26 A.27 A.29 A.30 A.32 A.34 A.35 A.38 A.42 A.46 A.100 A.101 A.102 A.104 A.125 A.130 A.134 A.200 A.204 A.230 A.300 A.304 A.330 A.430

1945-1992	Ae 45 Ae 50 Ae 145 Ae 245 Ae 345 L-29 L-39 L-59 L-60

1993-present	L-159 Ae 270

Under licence	C-3 C-103 D-44 MB.200

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