Letov Š-20
| Š-20 and Š-21 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Role | Fighter |
| National origin | Czechoslovakia |
| Manufacturer | Letov |
| First flight | 1925 |
| Number built | ca 118 |
The Letov Š-20 was a fighter aircraft produced in Czechoslovakia during the 1920s.
Design and development
The Letov Š-20 was a conventional, single-bay biplane with unstaggered wings, braced by N-struts. In overall appearance, it greatly resembled contemporary SPAD fighters. The fuselage and empennage were of welded steel tube construction and covered in fabric. The wings had a tubular metal spar but were otherwise wooden, and also fabric-covered.[1]
The Czechoslovakian Air Force bought 105 machines, and ten examples were produced for Lithuania under the designation Š-20L. These remained in service until 1936 and 1935 respectively.
Operational history
An Š-20 placed second in the single-engine category of the national President of the Republic air race in 1925, but fared better the following year. In the 1926 race, an Š-20 not only won this category, but also set a new national airspeed record of 234 km/h (146 mph). This record was short-lived, however, since the prize for the fastest circuit was also won in an Š-20, and this raised the record to 245 km/h (153 mph).[2]
A single prototype of an unarmed advanced trainer version was built as the Š-21, but this did not sell.
Variants
- Š-20 – initial production version
- Š-20M – revised version with slimmed down rear fuselage (main production version for Czechoslovakia)
- Š-20L – export version for Lithuania (eight built)
- Š-20R – version with further revisions to fuselage (one built)
- Š-20J – version with Walter-built Bristol Jupiter engine
- Š-21 – trainer version with Hispano-Suiza 8Aa engine (one built)
Specifications (Š-20)
General characteristics
- Crew: one
- Length: 7.44 m (24 ft 5 in)
- Wingspan: 9.70 m (31 ft 10 in)
- Height: 7 m (23 ft 3.25 in)
- Wing area: 18.4 m2 (198 ft2)
- Empty weight: 728 kg (1,602 lb)
- Gross weight: 1,048 kg (2,306 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Škoda-built Hispano-Suiza 8Fb, 190 kW (260 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 256 km/h (160 mph)
- Range: 528 km (330 miles)
- Service ceiling: 7,200 m (23,600 ft)
- Rate of climb: 6.0 m/s (1,190 ft/min)
Armament
- 2 × fixed, forward-firing .303 Lewis guns
See also
- Related lists
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Letov aircraft. |
Notes
Bibliography
- Němeček, Václav. Československá letadla. Prague: Naše Vojsko, 1968.
- Taylor, John W. R. and Jean Alexander. Combat Aircraft of the World. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. ISBN 0-71810-564-8.
- * Taylor, Michael J. H. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 1989. ISBN 0-517-69186-8.