S72013 AERO A-18

The Aero A-18 was a Czechoslovak fighter aircraft from the interwar period. It was a mixed-construction airplane with dominant wooden elements, in a biplane arrangement, with a fixed undercarriage. The drive in the basic version was provided by a single engine BMW IIIa 185 hp . The prototype flight took place in 1923. The production of these aircraft began shortly after, which led to the production of about 20 examples of this aircraft. The armament was two 7.7 mm Vickers machine guns. The design of the A-18 was based on several other planes built at the Aero factory at that time, mainly fighters from World War I, i.e. Aero Ae-02 and Ae-04, as well as a reconnaissance aircraft created shortly after its completion: Aero A- 11. Compared to its predecessors, the machine had slightly better performance and pilot properties. Based on the hunting version (A-18), there were also sports versions (A-18B and A-18C), which, however, were made in small quantities. The Aero A-18 aircraft was decommissioned in 1939 and did not take part in World War II.