Thulin K

Thulin K

National origin: Sweden
Manufacturer: AB Thulinverken
Designed by: Enoch Thulin
First flight: 1917
Introduced: 1917
Retired: 1920
Primary user: Royal Netherlands Navy
Number built: 19

The Thulin K was a Swedish naval fighter in the 1910s. It was operated by both the Swedish and Dutch armed forces.

Development

Dr. Enoch Thulin, of AB Thulinverken, designed the Thulin K in December 1916. It was a shoulder-wing monoplane of wooden construction employing wing warping for lateral control. It was powered by a 90 hp Thulin A engine.

Operational history

After initial flights in early 1917, the Swedish Army purchased two of the aircraft. However, it was more successful as an export plane; the Royal Netherlands Navy bought 12 aircraft between 1917 and 1918 and an additional three Thulin KAs. The aircraft's performance was good - Thulin himself broke the Swedish altitude record in it in 1919. However, later in that year, Thulin's own Thulin K lost an aileron in a steep dive, crashing and killing him. The rest of the Thulin Ks were written off in 1920 and the Thulin KAs were withdrawn in 1922.

Variants

Thulin K Single-seat production variant, 18 built. Thulin KA Two-seat version for the Royal Netherlands Navy, three built.

Operators

Sweden

Swedish Air Force

Netherlands

Specifications (Thulin K)

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 6.50 m (21 ft 4 in)
Wingspan: 9.10 m (29 ft 10¼ in)
Height: 2.55 m (8 ft 4 in)
Wing area: 18.00 m² (193.76 ft²)
Empty weight: 460 kg (1014 lb)
Gross weight: 650 kg (1433 lb)
Powerplant: 1 x— Thulin A rotary engine, 67 kW (90 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 220 km/h (137 mph)

Armament

1 x synchronised machine gun
1 x 20 mm Madsen cannon

Green, William; Gordon Swanborough. The Complete Book of Fighters. Godalming, UK: Salamander Books. pp. 44.

Thulin K Pictures

More aircraft.

Source: WikiPedia