Koolhoven F.K.52

F.K.52

Manufacturer: Koolhoven
First flight: 9 February 1937
Introduced: 1939
Retired: 1943
Primary users: Dutch Air Force Finnish Air Force
Produced: 1938-1940
Number built: 6

Koolhoven F.K.52 was a Dutch designed, two-seat reconnaissance-fighter biplane, which was developed in the 1930s by Koolhoven. The aircraft was equipped with an enclosed cockpit and single-strut landing gear. Only 6 aircraft were produced. The aircraft saw some service in the Finnish Air Force.

Design and development

The prototype aircraft made its maiden flight on February 9, 1937. The aircraft was however lost in an accident on August 11 the same year.

Although the Koolhoven was an obsolete design by 1938, they began building a few FK.52s. The Dutch Air Force ordered 36 aircraft in 1939, but only five had been manufactured, when the Germans invaded Holland.

Operational history

During the Winter War, two Koolhovens were purchased by the Swedish count Carl Gustav von Rosen and given to the Finnish Air Force. The aircraft were flown to Finland on January 18, 1940. They were given the codes KO-129 and KO-130. In March 1940 they bombed and machine gunned Soviet troops attacking over ice to Vironlahti. During the Winter War the summed up about 15 combat sorties. Both FK.52 planes got hits from enemy fire.

In 1941 the aircraft were used by LeLv 6 in the Hanko area. Both aircraft were destroyed during the Continuation War, KO-130 was lost during a leaflet dropping mission over Hanko and made a forced-landing 80 km south of Tallinn, Estonia on August 16, 1941. Both crew members died in the crash. Estonian guerrillas burned the plane and buried the crew in Velise.

The other aircraft, KO-129, was destroyed in an accident in 1943. The pilot bailed out and survived. The plane crashed north of the village Pernaa in Kauhava.

The nickname of the plane was Kolho, "clumsy"

Operators

Finland

Finnish Air Force operated two aircraft.

Netherlands

Royal Netherlands Air Force

Specifications (F.K.52)

Data from {Syx¶ksypommittajat}

General characteristics

Crew: Two (pilot and observer/gunner)
Length: 8.25 m (27 ft 1 in)
Wingspan: 9.80 m (32 ft 2 in)
Height: 3.30 m (10 ft 10 in)
Wing area: 28.40 m² (305.6 ft²)
Empty weight: 1,650 kg (3,630 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 2,500 kg (5,500 lb)
Powerplant: 1x— Bristol Mercury VIII radial engine, 625 kW (840 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 380 km/h (205 knots, 234 mph)
Cruise speed: 308 km/h (166 knots, 190 mph)
Range: 1,130 km (610 nm, 697 mi)
Service ceiling: 9,800 m (31,144 ft)

Armament

2 x— forward-firing 7.7 mm machine guns in wings
1 x— 7.62 mm L-33/34 machine gun for rear gunner
150 kg (330 lb) of bombs

Koolhoven F.K.52 Pictures

More aircraft.

Source: WikiPedia