HD 26 GWIAZDA

The Aichi HD 26 is a Japanese-German prototype reconnaissance seaplane from the interwar period in a biplane system with a fixed float undercarriage. The prototype flight took place in 1928. A total of 2 prototypes were built, but the plane never entered mass production. The drive was provided by a single Bristol Jupiter VI engine with 420 HP. The length of the aircraft was 8.3 meters with a wingspan of 11.8 meters. The maximum speed was up to 210 km / h. The deck armament consisted of a single 7.7 mm machine gun. The Aichi HD 26 was developed for the needs of the Japanese Navy, which in the mid-1920s sought to obtain a new light seaplane capable of taking off from cruiser and battleship launch catapults. One of the potential contractors for this project was the Aichi aviation company, which in turn commissioned the design of the new aircraft to the German Heinkel plant. As the latter company had previously worked on this type of aircraft, the work progressed very quickly. Finally, a machine was created that was in essence a smaller version of the Heinkel HD 25 machine. A single unit produced in Germany was powered by a Hispano-Suiza V-8 engine, but when it was delivered to Japan, Aichi decided to create one more unit, almost identical to the previous one, but powered by a Bristol Jupiter VI engine with much more power. Despite quite successful trials by the Navy, the machine did not enter mass production.The Aichi HD 26 is a Japanese-German prototype reconnaissance seaplane from the interwar period in a biplane system with a fixed float undercarriage. The prototype flight took place in 1928. A total of 2 prototypes were built, but the plane never entered mass production. The drive was provided by a single Bristol Jupiter VI engine with 420 HP. The length of the aircraft was 8.3 meters with a wingspan of 11.8 meters. The maximum speed was up to 210 km / h. The deck armament consisted of a single 7.7 mm machine gun. The Aichi HD 26 was developed for the needs of the Japanese Navy, which in the mid-1920s sought to obtain a new light seaplane capable of taking off from cruiser and battleship launch catapults. One of the potential contractors for this project was the Aichi aviation company, which in turn commissioned the design of the new aircraft to the German Heinkel plant. As the latter company had previously worked on this type of aircraft, the work progressed very quickly. Finally, a machine was created that was in essence a smaller version of the Heinkel HD 25 machine. A single unit produced in Germany was powered by a Hispano-Suiza V-8 engine, but when it was delivered to Japan, Aichi decided to create one more unit, almost identical to the previous one, but powered by a Bristol Jupiter VI engine with much more power. Despite quite successful trials by the Navy, the machine did not enter mass production.