LETOV ©.231

The Letov S-231 was a Czechoslovak fighter aircraft from the interwar period. The fighter was constructed in the biplane layout and had a fixed undercarriage in the classic layout. The machine entered the line in 1936, and 25 aircraft of this type were produced in the course of production. The drive was provided by a single Bristol Mercury IV engine with a power of up to 560 HP. The length of the aircraft was 7.8 meters with a wingspan of 10.06 meters. The deck armament consisted of four 7.92 mm machine guns. The S-231 model was created as a development of another Letov aircraft - the S-131 model. Its main designer was Eng. Alois Smolik, and compared to its predecessor, it differed primarily in significantly better aerodynamic properties, the use of a different power unit, as well as a different arrangement of the on-board weapons. The plane was put up for a competition announced by the Czechoslovak Air Force for a new, basic fighter, but it turned out to be inferior to the Avia B.534. Despite this, 25 aircraft were ordered, which, however, served in the Czechoslovak aviation for a very short time and in 1938 were sold to the republican government in Spain. In the years 1938-1939 they were used as air defense fighters, and after 1939, the few surviving examples were used in Spain as training and training machines.