Avia B.35

Avia B. 35 Stories

Prior to World War II (1939-1945), the Czechoslovak state maintained a strong local military industry, including the design, development and production of various small arms, armored vehicles and aircraft. In the years leading up to World War I, it invested in a low-wing aircraft of modern design from Avia, named "B-35".

The aircraft was born out of a 1935 Department of Defense requirement for a single-seat fighter with an enclosed cockpit, monoplane wings and metal skins. This product is intended to replace the outdated biplane series still in service with the Czech Air Force.

The B.35 made its first flight on September 28, 1938. The design features a slender fuselage with a mid-sized cockpit, front-mounted engine and conventional tail with a small surface vertical tail and a low mounting level. The main wing aircraft is an advanced midship with an oval shape similar to the classic British Supermarine Spitfire. Hispano-Suiza 12Ydrs 12-cylinder supercharged liquid-cooled inline engine, 860 hp, mounted in the nose, driving a two-bladed propeller. The landing gear of a typical "tail transporter" arrangement is bolted in place and spit out.

The wings of the main aircraft are mainly made of wood, while the fuselage is a mix of metal and canvas, with a tubular steel structure on the ground floor.

In practice, the B-35 appears to be the winner, as its handling characteristics are considered good and its performance is strong compared to its contemporaries. It can reach a top speed of nearly 310 mph and has a range of up to 310 miles. The reported rate of climb was 2,560 feet per minute.

The program delivered three prototypes, the B-35/1, B-35/2, and B-35/3. During testing, the original 12-yard engine was replaced by the 12 ycrs series, which allowed a 20mm gun to be mounted, fired through the propeller hub. The crash of the first prototype on 21 November prompted the construction of a slightly modified second prototype (B-35/2) (smaller ailerons, extended flaps and increased fuselage section) - The model exploded on December 30, 1938.

Based on promising results, the Czech government ordered 10 pre-production aircraftthough these were derailed when Germany occupied Czechoslovakia in March 1939.

Despite the crew, the B-35 product managed to continue development, leading to the third prototype (B-35/3), which received wings for its maiden flight on June 26, 1939. The main wing aircraft were modified to have straight sides along the guideline (the wings lost their oval shape), and finally a retractable landing gear was installed.

Complete armament now includes a hub-mounted 20mm autocannon and wing-mounted 2 x 7.92mm machine guns.

Ultimately, it was these three prototypes that caught the attention of the Avia B-35 aircraft program, which soon turned into an evolution of the "B-135". Bulgarian Air Force pilots were able to test the B-35/2 prototype as early as November 1939, and later they got the B-35/3 prototype.

With the blessing of Berlin, the Bulgarians commissioned twelve aircraft of this type to serve exclusively with the Bulgarian Air Force during the war.

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