Aero A.11

Aero A.11
General information
TypeLight bomber
Reconnaissance aircraft
ManufacturerAero Vodochody
Designer
Antonín Husník
Primary usersCzech Air Force
Number built108
History
Manufactured1924-1928
Introduction date1920s
First flight1924
Retired1940s
VariantsAero A.12
Aero A.21
Aero A.25
Aero A.29

The Aero A.11 was a biplane light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft built in Czechoslovakia between the First and Second World Wars. It formed the basis for many other Czechoslovakian military aircraft of the inter-war period. Around 250 were built, with some remaining in service at the outbreak of World War II.

Designed by Antonin Husnik,[1] it was a development of the Aero A.12 (despite what the numbering of the designs might suggest). A Hispano-Suiza 8Fb-powered version, the A.11H-s was built for the Finnish Air Force, the only foreign operator of the type. The Finns had eight aircraft of this type and used them between 1927 and 1939.

Replica Ab.11 in Prague Aviation Museum, Kbely

The Aero A.11 was the basis of the later Aero A.25 Aero A.29, Aero A.30, and Aero A.32 aircraft.[2][3][4]

Aircraft A-11.105 was modified in 1928 with a 240 hp (176 kw) Walter Castor I engine installed, and first flown in March 1930. After undergoing military trials, 25 planes were produced as the Aero A.211 from 1930-1933.[5] The A.211 featured advanced instrumentation in comparison to the A.11, was lengthened to 8.6m, and the weight was reduced to 880 kg. These planes carried no weapons and stayed in service until around 1939.[6][7]

After the Dissolution of Czechoslovakia, the Slovak Air Force retained 3 Aš.11, 3 AP.32, 1 A.25, and 3 A.211s. The aircraft that remained in the Czech Republic were captured by Germany and A.211s were used by the Luftwaffe for training, with 4 units still on the books as of May 1940.[8][9][10]

  1. ^ "Letecký konstruktér Antonín Husník".
  2. ^ NÉMEČEK, Václav (1983). Československá letadla I (1918-1945), 3rd ed. Prague: Naše vojsko. p. 77–78, 250–251.
  3. ^ ŠOREL, Václav (2005). Encyklopedie českého a slovenského letectví. Brno: CP Books. p. 40. ISBN 80-251-0733-7.
  4. ^ Jirout, Jar (September 1930). "Pozorovací letouny firmy Aero typu AP-32". Letectví. 10 (9): 338–341.
  5. ^ Fidler, Jiří (2015). In the betrayed sky. Prague: Libri. p. 13. ISBN 978-80-7277-532-3.
  6. ^ NÉMEČEK, Václav (1983). Československá letadla I (1918-1945), 3rd ed. Prague: Naše vojsko. p. 77–78, 250–251.
  7. ^ ČIŽEK, Martin (2015). Letadla zrazeného nebe. Prague: Naše vojsko. p. 41-45. ISBN 978-80-206-1576-3.
  8. ^ "Gonzo - História lietania SR". Archived from the original on 2020-10-26.
  9. ^ ČIŽEK, Martin (2015). Letadla zrazeného nebe. Prague: Naše vojsko. p. 41-45. ISBN 978-80-206-1576-3.
  10. ^ KRUMBACH, Jan (June 1964). "A-11". Křídla vlasti (13): 426–428.