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Avia S-92 Turbina (Me 262A)

1950 COLD WAR

History

Like the Messerschmitt Bf 109 piston engine fighter, the production of the Messerschmitt Me 262 "Schwalbe" jet engine fighter was also outsourced to a factory in Czechoslovakia in the late WWII (1939-1945). When the war in Europe ended with German support in May 1945, Czechoslovakia still had the equipment needed to build both aircraft.

These aircraft were subsequently renamed S-99/S-199 (based on Bf 109G) and S-92 "Turbina" (based on Me 262A) by Avia.

In the latter case, the Czechs began to produce single- and two-seat variants of the German jet fighter "S-92" and "CS-92". The S-92 marks the primary fighter form, while the CS-92 represents the two-seat trainer platform.

In 1946, 12 were produced (9 single-seaters and 3 two-seaters) for testing, and the service was announced the following year.

Prototype S-92. The 1 made its first test flight on August 27, 1946, but an accident in September took away the fuselage. The second prototype, the S-92. 2, made its first flight on October 24, 1946. The two-seat trainer variant first flew on December 10, 1946. Another prototype, the S-92.

7. Equipped with a modified BMW 003-series turbojet, but testing proved that, despite the increase in overall thrust, the product was not as reliable as one would like it to be.

In 1950, the first Czechoslovak fighter squadron composed entirely of jet fighters was finally formed, but these mounts remained only for a short time as Soviet jet designs with greater power and capability became widely available . After a formal demonstration to Yugoslav authorities, Yugoslavia ordered two S-92 fighter jets, which never materialized.

In practice, the Czech S-92 was comparable in performance to the wartime Me 262, but was completely surpassed in the early 1950s by the emerging new generation of fighters from the Soviet Union and the West. This explains the Turbina's relatively short service life and small overall output.

Visually, these fighters remain faithful to the German design that appeared in April 1944 and shocked many viewers.

Most of the available S-92 and CS-92 aircraft were subsequently scrapped, although one was kept on public display at the Prague Aviation Museum (now in the Czech Republic).