Avia S-199
Avia S-199 Sakeen at the Israeli Air Force Museum, Hatzerim, Israel
Role Fighter aircraft
Manufacturer Avia
Designer Messerschmitt
First flight March 1947
Retired 1957
Primary users Czechoslovak Air Force
Israeli Air Force
Produced 1947–1949
Number built 603
Developed from Messerschmitt Bf 109

The Avia S-199 is a propeller-driven Messerschmitt Bf 109G-based fighter aircraft built after World War II using the Bf 109G airframe and a Junkers Jumo 211F engine in place of the original and unavailable Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine. It is notable as the first fighter obtained by the Israeli Air Force, and used during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

Constructed in Czechoslovakia, with parts and plans left over from Luftwaffe aircraft production, the aircraft had numerous problems and was generally unpopular with its pilots. Czechoslovak pilots nicknamed it Mezek ("Mule"), while in Israel, it was officially known as the Sakeen ("knife" in Hebrew). In practice, the aircraft was more often called Messerschmitt or Messer (which also means "knife", in German and Yiddish).

Design and development

Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine
Junkers Jumo 211F engine

Avia continued building Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6s after the war under the Avia S-99 name, at two aircraft factories in Czechoslovakia. One of them was officially called závod Avia (Avia Plant) (1946–48) and závod Avia-Jiřího Dimitrova (Avia-George Dimitroff-Plant, 1948–49) in Čakovice near Prague, as a postwar corporative part of the Automobilové závody, n.p. [Automotive Works, National Corp.]. The other was named závod Vysočany (Vysočany Plant, 1948–49) in Prague, as a corporative part of Letecké závody, n.p. [Aviation Works, National Corp.], but soon ran out of the 109's Daimler-Benz DB 605 engines after many were destroyed during an explosion at a warehouse in Krásné Březno.

The S-199 continued to use the Bf 109G airframe, but with none of the original DB 605 engines available, an alternative power unit had to be sourced. It was decided that the aircraft would use the Junkers Jumo 211F engine and same propeller type, both as fitted to the Heinkel He 111 bomber. However, the results were far from satisfactory and the outcome was an aircraft that displayed some quite alarming handling characteristics. The substitute engine with the propeller lacked the responsiveness of the Daimler-Benz unit and the torque created by the massive paddle-bladed propeller made control very difficult. This, in combination with the 109's narrow-track undercarriage, made landings and takeoffs extremely hazardous.

The Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine allowed for a central cannon mount (Motorkanone in German) that fired through the propeller spinner. As the Jumo 211 did not have provision for this, the S-199 used a version of the Rüstsatz VI modification kit. This consisted of a single MG 151 cannon mounted beneath each wing, but this further impaired the aircraft's performance. A final hidden danger lay in the gun synchronizer for the cowl-mounted MG 131 machine guns, which did not function as envisaged, leading to some Israeli pilots shooting off their own propellers.[1]

Despite these drawbacks, around 550 S-199s were built, including a number of conversion trainers designated CS-199 (armed) and C-210 (unarmed). The first flight took place in March 1947, and production ended in 1949. The last examples were withdrawn from Czechoslovak service (with their National Security Guard) in 1957.[2]

Operational history

Israeli service

Israeli Avia S-199, 1948

Israeli agents negotiated the purchase of Avia S-199s from the Czechoslovak government in defiance of an arms embargo that Israel faced at the time. Twenty-five aircraft were obtained and all but two were eventually delivered. The price for a fully equipped plane was $190,000.[3] The first four examples arrived on 20 May 1948, six days after Israel's declaration of independence and five days after the commencement of hostilities by Egypt. Forming Israel's first fighter squadron, the four Avias were assembled and sent into combat for the first time on 29 May during Operation Pleshet, attacking the Egyptian army between Isdud and the Ad Halom bridge, south of Tel Aviv. A few days later, on 3 June, taking off from Herzliya Airport[4] the type scored the Israeli Air Force's first aerial victories when Modi Alon shot down two Royal Egyptian Air Force C-47s, which had just bombed Tel Aviv.[5][6]

The type proved unreliable and performed poorly in combat. Furthermore, maintenance problems meant that no more than five were typically airworthy at any one time. However, Israeli-operated S-199's did score victories over their opponents, including the Spitfire[7][8] which also equipped the Egyptian Air Force. The Avias were mostly withheld from service by the end of October, when only six remained operational. The S-199 continued making sporadic sorties until mid-December.

Variants

Avia CS-199; Prague Aviation Museum, Kbely
Avia S-99
A Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10 variant assembled postwar in Czechoslovakia, its Avia factory designation was C.10; 21 aircraft were completed.
Avia CS-99
A training variant of Avia S-99 based on the Bf 109G-12 variant, its Avia factory designation was C.10: 23 aircraft were completed.
Avia S-199
The Avia S-99 powered by the Junkers Jumo 211F engine was the main production variant. Its Avia factory designation was C.210, and 559 aircraft were completed.
Avia CS-199
This two-seat training variant was rebuilt from the Avia S-199.
Avia D-199
A reconnaissance version

Operators

Avia S199 with Czechoslovak markings.
 Czechoslovakia
 Israel

Surviving aircraft

Czech Republic
  • UC-26 – CS-199 - is on static display at the Kbely Aviation Museum in Kbely, Prague. It is serial number 565.[9]
  • UF-25 – S-199 - is on static display at the Prague Aviation Museum in Kbely, Prague. It is serial number 178.[9]
Israel

Specifications (S-199)

Data from The Complete Book of Fighters [11]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 8.94 m (29 ft 4 in)
  • Wingspan: 9.92 m (32 ft 7 in)
  • Height: 2.59 m (8 ft 6 in)
  • Wing area: 16.5 m2 (178 sq ft)
  • Airfoil: root: NACA 2R1 14.2; tip: NACA 2R1 11.35[12]
  • Empty weight: 2,860 kg (6,305 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 3,736 kg (8,236 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Junkers Jumo 211F V-12 inverted liquid-cooled piston engine, 1,010 kW (1,350 hp) for take-off
790 kW (1,060 hp) at 5,300 m (17,400 ft)
  • Propellers: 3-bladed paddle-bladed VS 11 constant-speed propeller

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 528 km/h (328 mph, 285 kn) at sea level
598 km/h (372 mph; 323 kn) at 6,000 m (20,000 ft)
  • Range: 860 km (530 mi, 460 nmi)
  • Rate of climb: 13.7 m/s (2,700 ft/min)
  • Wing loading: 231 kg/m2 (47 lb/sq ft)
  • Power/mass: 0.195 hp/lb (0.321 kW/kg)

Armament

or
    • 4 × 70 kg (155 lb) bombs

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

  1. ↑ Lande, D.A. (2000). Messerschmitt 109. Warbird History. MBI Publishing Company. p. 116. ISBN 0-7603-0803-9.
  2. ↑ "Avia S-199 : Avia".
  3. ↑ Ilan, Amitzur (1996). The Origin of the Arab-Israeli Arms Race. Arms, Embargo, Military Power and Decision in the 1948 Palestine War, New York University Press, p. 169
  4. ↑ "How Nazi Fighter Planes Saved Israel War Is Boring, 2016-15-08". Archived from the original on 2016-08-17. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
  5. ↑ Aloni, Shlomo (2001). Arab–Israeli Air Wars. Osprey Publishing. p. 11. ISBN 1-84176-294-6.
  6. ↑ Norton, Bill (2004). Air War on the Edge – A History of the Israel Air Force and its Aircraft since 1947. Midland Publishing. pp. 110–12. ISBN 1-85780-088-5.
  7. ↑ Nordeen, Lon (1990). Fighters Over Israel, The Story of the Israeli Air Force from the War of Independence to the Bekaa Valley. Guild Publishing.
  8. ↑ "Attributed Israeli Air Combat Victories". Safarikovi. Retrieved September 8, 2011.
  9. 1 2 "Avia S-199 (čs. verze Messerschmitt Bf 109G/K) - stíhací letoun". Vojenský Historický Ústav Praha (in Czech). Vojenský Historický Ústav. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  10. ↑ "Airframe Dossier - Messerschmitt-Avia CS-199, s/n D-112 IDF, c/n 782358". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  11. ↑ Green, William; Swanborough, Gordon (1994). The Complete Book of Fighters. London: Salamander. p. 40. ISBN 1-85833-777-1.
  12. ↑ Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
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