Renard R.36

Renard R. 36 Stories

The Belgian Renard brothers, who failed to win government-sponsored fighter competitions in the late 1920s, were offered a low-quality "Epervier" ("Sparrowhawk") for review (aircraft described elsewhere on this page). When the Belgian Air Force needed to replace the current Firefly II, Alfred Renard tried again to build a state-of-the-art metal-hulled monoplane. This work was carried out in the single-seat "R.

36", which first flew in 1937. However, the promising project suffered a notable setback when the only prototype was lost during testing and the design was eventually passed on to another British aircraft.

The R.36 retained all the key features of modern fighter jets of the time: retractable landing gear, metal fairing/structure and fully enclosed cockpit. This engine is usually mounted on the nose and drives a three-bladed propeller unit. The cockpit is located aft of the bow, near the center of the boat, and has a relatively heavy frame. The main wing of the aircraft is round and placed very forward in the design. The tail consists of the usual single vertical tail, attached to a pair of horizontal planes.

The landing gear has a rear tug arrangement corresponding to that time. Metal was used throughout the construction of this elegant aircraft.

Internally, power is provided by a Hispano-Suiza 12Ycrs 12-cylinder V-type liquid-cooled inline engine rated at 910 hp.

As a fighter, the R.36 was proposed to have 1 x 20mm automatic cannon and 4 x 7.7mm machine guns in the engine block, two in each wing, which would give it great firepower against enemy fighters and Same as bomber.

Engineers made several modifications to the design during the early stages of the project, resulting in enlarged rudder fins and repositioning of the radiator tub assembly. The first flight was recorded on November 5, 1937, and Belgian authorities liked the potential of the domestic aircraft and ordered 40 prototypes of the model the following year, with deliveries taking two years. However, the program suffered a major setback on January 17, 1939, when the prototype was lost near Nivelles (the test pilot was killed).

This is very unfortunate as about 75.5 hours have been accumulated in the air. The R.36 project was put on hold pending review, and with time and urgency, the Belgian Air Force ordered the British Hawker Hurricane - although this was locally produced under license under the SABCA brand label.

The R. 36 project was never restored.

The similar Renard R. 37 and R. 38 monoplanes were offshoots of the R. 36 attempt, but the German invasion of 1940 ended hopes that these machines would have an impact on the final defense of Belgium. Other offshoots related to the R. 36 include the R. 40, which was fitted with a liquid-cooled Rolls-Royce Merlin inline engine to satisfy the French interest in the fighter - an example that had not yet been surrendered by the Belgians at the time. The R. 42 was a bolder derivative of the R. 36, as it attempted to join two R. 36 hulls together for increased firepower and range.

This attempt also failed.

In flight, the R. 36 has an overall length of 28.10 feet, a wingspan of 38.2 feet, and a height of 9.6 feet. The curb weight is 3,900 pounds and the MTOW is 5,445 pounds. The plane has a top speed of 320 mph and a range of up to 620 miles. The climb rate is 2,625 feet per minute.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes