Renard R.37

Renard R. 37 Stories

Attempts by the Belgian brothers Reynard to secure fighter orders with the Belgian Air Force before World War II (1939-1945) ultimately failed. These included the Epervier ("Sparrowhawk") of the late 1920s and the all-metal R. 36 monoplane of the early 1930s (both detailed elsewhere on this site).

With war with Germany looming, there is a sense of urgency in the Belgian aviation industry to develop an internal solution for the eventual defense of the homeland. Until now, the services of the Luftwaffe were provided mainly by foreign types.

Due to the sinking of the only prototype in January 1939, work on the now obsolete R.36 was not completely lost, as its frame now formed the basis of a new all-metal monoplane of a completely modern design. This led to "R.

37" being formulated in the context of the imminent invasion of neighboring Germany.

The new fighter features a Gnome-Rhone 14N-21 14-cylinder radial-piston air-cooled engine producing over 1,100 hp instead of the 900 hp liquid-cooled inline in the R.36 model. A ventilation ring is used to absorb Large radial, as an oversized spinner is mounted on the propeller hub for a decidedly streamlined mass.

Another notable design feature is the interior design, as some of the exhaust gases produced are recovered to slightly increase overall thrust.

As a combat fighter, the R.37 was designed to be armed with 2 x 13.2mm heavy machine guns and 4 x 7.7mm medium machine guns, all mounted on the wings (unlike the R.37). 36, which would contain an engine-mounted 20mm automatic cannon and wing-mounted machine guns).

Externally, the R-37 mimics most of its predecessor's form and function: its wing shape (mostly circular) is similar in design, and its placement in the midship forward is nearly identical. The cockpit is in the middle of the boat, visibility is limited, and the rear wing is conventional. Metal structures and metal skins are used throughout the aircraft. The landing gear was retractable and had a "smearing" arrangement - a common feature of fighter jets of that era.

The notable difference between the R.37 and its earlier R.36 form was the large fairing on the nose and the overall oversized nose section - which forced engineers to better accommodate the larger air-cooled radial engine.

The R. 37 was put on static display at the Brussels Salon in July 1939 to demonstrate Belgian fighter proficiency in the shadow of war - but at that time the only prototype had not flown. His time came because in September 1939, Germany invaded neighboring Poland to start World War II (1939-1945), from where Hitler turned his attention to France and the Netherlands, leading to the fall of Belgium in May 1940.

The R. 37 was confiscated by the incoming and occupied Germans, and the prototype unwittingly made its first flight (under the control of Luftwaffe pilots) in the same year. Aside from this seemingly successful flight, little is known about the R.37 program, as there appears to be no sustained record.

Renard was also working on a two-seater ground attack variant of the R. 37, to be named "R. 37B", but this variant had little traction before the German invasion. The Jagdform R. 38 was developed in parallel, but it was also invaded by Germany in 1940 and scrapped by the occupying forces.

Specification

Basic

Production

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Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes