Avia B-158

Avia B-158

National origin: Czechoslovakia
Manufacturer: Avia
First flight: 1938
Number built: 1

The Avia B-158 was a prototype Czechoslovak twin-engined light bomber aircraft of the 1930s. Only a single example was built and it was abandoned following the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in March 1939.

Development and design

In 1935, the Czech aircraft company Avia produced a design for a small twin engined bomber with a fixed undercarriage and powered by two 313kW (420hp) Avia Rk 17 radial engines. This design was abandoned in 1936, however, by a more powerful and advanced derivative, the Avia B-158, which was designed to meet a requirement from the Czechoslovak Ministry of National Defense (MNO) for a high performance medium bomber, capable of operation during both day and night, competing against Aero Vodochody's A.300.

In 1937, Avia started to build a single prototype of the B-158, a three-seat low-winged monoplane with inverted gull-wings, a retractable tailwheel undercarriage and 634kW (850hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Ydrs engines, making its maiden flight in mid-1938. It was fitted with a twin tail to give a better field of fire for the dorsal gun position.

While the competing Aero A.300 gave superior performance, neither had entered into production by the time Germany occupied Bohemia and Moravia. After testing by the Luftwaffe at their test centre at Rechlin, the prototype B-158 was scrapped in 1940.

Specifications

Data from Plane Facts:One-off Czech

General characteristics

Crew: 3
Length: 12.00m (39ft4in)
Wingspan: 16.00m (52ft6in)
Height: 5.20m (17ft1in)
Wing area: 43.00m (462.8sqft)
Empty weight: 4,300kg (9,480lb)
Gross weight: 6,600kg (14,551lb)
Powerplant: 2 x— Hispano-Suiza 12Ydrs liquid-cooled V12 engine, 630kW (850hp) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 435km/h (270mph; 235kn)
Cruising speed: 365km/h (227mph; 197kn)
Range: 1,100km (684mi; 594nmi)
Service ceiling: 8,500m (27,887ft)
Rate of climb: 7.00m/s (1,378ft/min)

Armament

Guns: 3x— 7.92 mm machine guns in nose, dorsal and ventral positions
Bombs: 1,000 kg (2,200 lb)

Related development

Aero A.300

"Plane Facts: One-off Czech". Air International, January 1981, Vol 20 No. 1. p. 48.

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Source: WikiPedia