PZL-230 Skorpion

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PZL-230 Skorpion, second (F) version.

PZL-230 Skorpion is the name of the cancelled military project of a Polish Air Force attack aircraft. The project was started in late 1980s by the PZL (Polish State Aviation Works) and cancelled in 1994 due to lack of funds. Skorpion would have had twin jet engines, a fuselage afterbody blending into the wing, and small canards behind the cockpit.

1 History
2 Feasibility
3 Specifications
4 References

[edit] History

The project was developed by a team under Andrzej Frydrychewicz at PZL Okęcie, analyzing the experiences of modern wars (Vietnam War, Soviet war in Afghanistan) and capitalizing on their experiences with some other recent Polish designs like PZL-130 Orlik. Among the desired capabilities were the Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL), manoeuverable but armored, cheap, easy to build and modify (due to modular design). The early design incorporated a single pilot, twin jet engine canard-type construction, with engines on the top side (like in the famous A-10 Thunderbolt II), an ability to take off and land on a runway of about 250 m length, carry 2000 kg of munitions, travel at speeds up to 640 km/h, armed with 25 mm cannon and able to carry both NATO and Warsaw Pact munitions. Composites, fly-by-wire and other advanced avionics were to be used as well.

In 1990 the design was changed, as Polish Ministry of Defense demanded a top speed of 1000 km/h and ability to carry 4000 kg of equipment. The redesigned Skorpion became a heavier plane, and the engines were moved into the central body. The changes extended the required runway length to 400 m. The new design was also flatter, thus acquiring some stealth aircraft capabilities. This version was known as 230F. A model of the F version was constructed in 1992.

Later variants were named D, and included a DT training variant and DB combat variant. In 1993 the project was affirmed by the airforce, but due to budget cuts it was cancelled in 1994.

[edit] Feasibility

PZL-230 Skorpion, first version.

PZL-230 was an ambitious project for Poland, and critics argued from the beginning that it was too ambitious. In the early days of the project Polish aeorospace manufacturing in the People's Republic of Poland was subservient to that of the Soviet Union and limited to Soviet technology. After the events of 1989 Poland could import more Western technology, but was also affected by the economic transformation from a communist to a capitalist economic system. The post-1989 government had other priorities than military. Although some reviews and evaluations indicated that — according to the specifications — PZL-230 could become one of the most efficient of the contemporary attack planes,^{[citation needed]} and many argued that PZL-230 could become an export hit,^{[citation needed]} it was eventually cancelled. Today, PZL-230 project is remembered as one of the most ingenious post-Second World War Polish airplane projects.^{[citation needed]}