Renard R.36

Last updated
R.36
Renard R.36.jpg
RoleFighter
ManufacturerRenard
Designer Alfred Renard
First flight5 November 1937
Number built1

The Renard R.36 was a Belgian all-metal fighter aircraft designed by Alfred Renard to replace the Fairey Firefly IIM within the Belgian Air Force. Designed to improve on the Renard Epervier, which was never adopted by the Belgian government, the prototype R.36 first flew on 5 November 1937. [1] Following testing the R.36 was selected by the Belgian Air Force in late 1938, with 40 aircraft provisionally ordered, to be delivered in two years. [2]

Contents

However, on 17 January 1939 the prototype, OO-ARW, crashed near Nivelles, killing pilot Lt. Viscount Eric de Spoelberch. The official investigation was inconclusive, no evidence of material failure being discovered, with the most probable causes being radio equipment coming loose during a high-G manoeuvre, jamming the controls, or the pilot becoming incapacitated. The airframe had accumulated 75:30 hours' flight time. The order was then dropped in favour of licence production of the Hawker Hurricane by SABCA. [3]

Variants

R.36

Single-seat fighter powered by a 680 kW (910 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Ycrs engine, one built. [4] Armament was 4 × 7.7 mm FN Browning machine guns and 1 × 20 mm autocannon, [5] and a 3 × 20 mm autocannons configuration was planned. [6]

Several variants were also planned but not built;

The R.36B, a two-seater variant, the R.36E, a lightened two-seater training variant with a weaker engine (400 to 600 hp), and the R.36R, a standard R.36 but with smaller wings (16 m2 instead of 20). [7]

R.37

Renard R.37 Renard R.37.jpg
Renard R.37

Version of R.36 powered by a 820 kW (1,100 hp) Gnome-Rhône 14N-21 radial engine, one aircraft captured by German forces in May 1940. [8] Planned armament was 4 × 7.7 mm FN Browning machine guns or 2 × 13.2 mm FN Browning shell firing guns. [9] Technical documentation from the "Ateliers Renard" also mention the possibility of fitting the R.37 with a composite armament of 2 × 13.2 mm FN Browning machine guns and 2 × 20 mm autocannons or with 6 × 7.7 mm FN Browning machine guns. [10]

The R.37 was also tested with Pegasus XX and Mercury engines out of concern of shortages of the Gnome-Rhône engine and possible overheating. [10]

R.38

Derivative of R.36 aircraft powered by a 770 kW (1,030 hp) Rolls-Royce Merlin II. One built, which was first flown on 4 August 1939 reaching a speed of 545 km/h (339 mph) during testing. Prototype evacuated to France but captured by German forces and scrapped. [8] Planned armament was 4 × 7.7 mm FN Browning machine guns or 4 × 13.2 mm FN Browning shell firing guns. [11] Technical documentation from the "Ateliers Renard" also planned the use of 4 × 20 mm autocannons. [10]

R.40

Unfinished variant of the R.38 built at the request of the french air force. It was supposed to be a high-altitude fighter with a detachable cabin armed with 4 × 7.7mm FN Browning machine guns or 4 × 13.2mm FN Browning machine guns. Technical documentation from the "Ateliers Renard" also planned the use of 4 × 20 mm autocannons. [10]

R.42

Proposed twin fuselage variant of the R.40, similar to the F-82 Twin Mustang. Proposed armament was four 13.2 mm FN Browning shell firing guns and four 20 mm autocannons, with an estimated top speed of 680 km/h. [10]

Operators

Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium

Specifications (R.36)

Renard R-38.svg

Data from [4]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Focke-Wulf Fw 190</span> 1939 fighter aircraft family by Focke-Wulf

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed Würger ("Shrike") is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the Fw 190 became the backbone of the Jagdwaffe of the Luftwaffe. The twin-row BMW 801 radial engine that powered most operational versions enabled the Fw 190 to lift larger loads than the Bf 109, allowing its use as a day fighter, fighter-bomber, ground-attack aircraft and to a lesser degree, night fighter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Focke-Wulf Fw 189 Uhu</span> 1938 reconnaissance aircraft family by Focke-Wulf

The Focke-Wulf Fw 189 Uhu is a German twin-engine, twin-boom, three-seat tactical reconnaissance and army cooperation aircraft. It first flew in 1938, entered service in 1940 and was produced until mid-1944.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blériot-SPAD S.510</span> Type of aircraft

The Blériot SPAD S.510 was a French single-seat, single-engined biplane fighter aircraft. First flying in 1933, 60 were built for the Armée de l'Air, entering service in 1936. The type remained in service as a fighter-trainer at the start of the Second World War. It was the last French biplane fighter to enter production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curtiss P-36 Hawk</span> American fighter aircraft

The Curtiss P-36 Hawk, also known as the Curtiss Hawk Model 75, is an American-designed and built fighter aircraft of the 1930s and 40s. A contemporary of the Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109, it was one of the first of a new generation of combat aircraft—a sleek monoplane design with a retractable undercarriage making extensive use of metal in its construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitsubishi A7M</span> Japanese carrier-based fighter aircraft

The Mitsubishi A7MReppū was designed as the successor to the Imperial Japanese Navy's A6M Zero, with development beginning in 1942. Performance objectives were to achieve superior speed, climb, diving, and armament over the Zero, as well as better maneuverability – all parameters that were ultimately achieved towards the end of its development in 1945. However, limitations on Japanese industry towards the end of the war prevented the A7M from ever entering mass production or being deployed for active duty, and it never saw active service. Its Allied reporting name was "Sam".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seversky P-35</span> 1935 fighter aircraft series by Seversky

The Seversky P-35 is an American fighter aircraft built by the Seversky Aircraft Company in the late 1930s. A contemporary of the Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109, the P-35 was the first single-seat fighter in United States Army Air Corps to feature all-metal construction, retractable landing gear, and an enclosed cockpit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed XP-58 Chain Lightning</span> 1944 fighter aircraft prototype by Lockheed

The Lockheed XP-58 Chain Lightning was an American long-range fighter developed during World War II. Although derived from the successful P-38 Lightning, the XP-58 was plagued by technical problems with its engines that eventually led to the project's cancellation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic XP-72</span> 1944 experimental fighter aircraft

The Republic XP-72 was an American prototype fighter-interceptor developed by Republic Aircraft as a progression of the P-47 Thunderbolt design. The XP-72 was designed around the Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major 28-cylinder air-cooled radial engine with a supercharger mounted behind the pilot and driven by an extension shaft from the engine. The armament consisted of six .50 caliber (12.7 mm) wing-mounted Browning AN/M2 machine guns and underwing racks for two 1,000 lb bombs; Alternative armament packages included two 37 mm M4 autocannons with four .50 caliber AN/M2s, or four M4 autocannons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vought SBU Corsair</span> Type of aircraft

The Vought SBU-1 Corsair was a two-seat, all-metal biplane dive bomber built by Vought Aircraft Company of Dallas, Texas for the US Navy. Its design was based upon the F3U-1 two-seat fighter that was abandoned when the Navy decided not to obtain any more two-seat fighters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ikarus S-49</span> Yugoslav fighter aircraft

The Ikarus S-49 was a Yugoslav single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft built for the Yugoslav Air Force shortly after World War II. Following the Tito–Stalin Split in 1948, the Yugoslav Air Force was left with an aircraft inventory consisting of mostly Soviet aircraft. Unable to acquire new aircraft or spare parts for its existing fleet, they turned to its domestic aviation industry in order to create an indigenous design to fulfill the need for additional aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gloster F.9/37</span> Type of aircraft

The Gloster F.9/37, also known as the Gloster G.39, was a British twin-engined design from the Gloster Aircraft Company for a cannon-armed heavy fighter to serve with the Royal Air Force, planned before the Second World War. The F.9/37 was rejected in favour of other designs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renard R.31</span> Type of aircraft

The Renard R.31 was a Belgian reconnaissance aircraft of the 1930s. A single-engined parasol monoplane, 32 R.31s were built for the Belgian Air Force, the survivors of which, although obsolete, remained in service when Nazi Germany invaded Belgium in 1940. The Renard R.31 was the only World War II operational military aircraft entirely designed and built in Belgium.

The Renard Epervier was a Belgian prototype single-seat all-metal fighter monoplane designed by Alfred Renard at the Societé Anonyme Avions et Moteurs Renard for a government-sponsored design contest in 1928. The Epervier Type 2 was built and flown in 1928, by Belgian aircraft manufacturer Stampe et Vertongen. It carried an armament of two synchronised 7.7mm guns and was lost in September 1928 after failing to recover from a flat spin. A second prototype, the Epervier Type 2bis, introduced revised streamlined fairings for the cantilever mainwheel legs, mainwheel spats and cylinder aft-fairings and was built by SABCA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairey Fantôme</span> Type of aircraft

The Fairey Fantôme, also known as the Fairey Féroce, was a British fighter prototype of the mid-1930s. The prototype was designed and built by Fairey Aviation and three production aircraft were assembled in Belgium by Avions Fairey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koolhoven F.K.55</span> Dutch fighter prototype

The Koolhoven F.K.55 was a Dutch fighter prototype of the 1930s, which did not progress beyond the prototype stage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caproni Ca.335</span> Italian fighter-bomber prototype

The Caproni Ca.335 Maestrale (Mistral) was an Italian single-engined two-seat fighter-bomber/reconnaissance aircraft of the 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romano R.90</span> Type of aircraft

The Romano R.90 was a prototype single-seat French floatplane fighter of the 1930s. A single example of the R.90 was built, but the type did form the basis of the Romano R.83 and Romano R.92 fighters which were built in secret for the Spanish Republicans during the Spanish Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loire-Nieuport 161</span> Monoplane fighter

The Loire-Nieuport 161 was a single-seat, single-engine, all-metal, low-wing monoplane fighter designed and built in France in 1935 to compete for a government contract. Accidents delayed its development and only three prototypes were completed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SNCAC NC-600</span> Type of aircraft

The SNCAC NC-600 was a prototype French twin-engined long-range fighter aircraft, developed by SNCAC from the earlier Hanriot H.220 fighter. The type never entered service, with development being ended by the French surrender in June 1940.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitrailleuse d'Avion Browning - F.N. Calibre 13,2 mm</span> Aircraft ordnance:

Browning Aircraft Machine Gun - F.N. Caliber 13.2 mm, more commonly known as the 13.2 mm FN Browning, but also 13.2 mm Browning-F.N., F.N. Caliber 13.2 mm, FN Browning M.1939 and the like, was a 13.2 mm (0.52 in) caliber, shell-firing, heavy machine gun for aircraft use, designed by Fabrique Nationale (F.N.) in Herstal, Belgium, as a private export venture during the final years prior to World War II.

References

  1. de Wulf 1977 , p. 186
  2. de Wulf 1977 , pp. 186–187
  3. de Wulf 1977 , p. 187
  4. 1 2 Green & Swanborough 1994, pp. 490–491
  5. "Microsoft Word - Renard_R36.doc" (PDF). fnar.be. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  6. "FNAR Fonds National Alfred Renard - R36". www.fnar.be. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  7. Godfurnon, Nicolas. Renard R-36/37/38 & 40.
  8. 1 2 Green & Swanborough 1994 , p. 491
  9. "Microsoft Word - Renard_R37.doc" (PDF). fnar.be. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Godfurnon, Nicolas. Renard R-36/37/38 & 40.
  11. "Armament of R.38" (PDF).