Ikarus IK 2

infobox Aircraft
name = Ikarus IK 2
type = fighter
manufacturer = Ikarus A.D.

---

caption =
designer = Kosta Sivcev, Ljubomir Ilic
first flight = 22 April 1935
introduced = 1935
retired = 1944
status =
primary user = Royal Yugoslav Air Force
more users = Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia
produced =
number built = 12
unit cost =
variants with their own articles = The Ikarus IK-2 was a 1930s high-wing, all-metal, single seat, monoplane fighter aircraft of indigenous design built for the Yugoslav Air Force. The IK-2 was designed by Kosta Sivčev and Ljubomir Ilić, who saw the desirability of a home-developed aircraft industry in their country, whose aerial forces to that point were supplied by machines from abroad.

Design and development

The prototype, designated the IK-L1, of the design was ordered from Ikarus A.D. in 1934, and was delivered for test in 1935. The aircraft was powered by a Hispano-Suiza 12Ycrs inline engine. The forward-firing armament consisted of a 20 mm HS-404 cannon mounted under the engine, and two 7.92 mm Darne machine guns, mounted under and to each side of the engine. The design was similar to the Polish PZL P.8, sharing its Pulawski wing (gull-wing) design, giving the pilot an excellent view. [ [http://www.simviation.com/fsdcbainik2.htm Ikarus IK 2] ] The wing on each side was braced with two struts; the fixed conventional landing gear was spatted and mounted off the wing struts. The fixed tailwheel was also spatted. The pilot was installed aft of the wing in an enclosed cockpit. The horizontal stabilizer on each side was braced from below with two rigid braces from the lower tailcone, and tied from above with two flying wires from the vertical stabilizer. The three-bladed propeller was manually adjustable in pitch. [Green 1969]

Captain Leonid Bajdak, a biplane advocate, tested the IK-1 in flight. During a full range of tests on the third flight the aircraft failed to pull out of a power dive and crashed. Bajdak bailed out and survived but claimed the IK-1 was not suitable as a fighter. Investigation of the wreckage disclosed that the failure was due to negligence in sewing a seam on one of the fabric-covered wings, and therefore a decision was made to proceed with the second prototype, designated IK-2. The second prototype had metal-skinned wings and a shallower cooling radiator. The IK-2 was ready for test in June 1936. A new test pilot, Dobnikar, performed the preliminary flight tests, including a mock battle against a Hawker Fury, a biplane, flown by Captain Bajdak. The IK-2 outperformed the biplane in all respects, thereby confirming the hopes of the young designers.

Operational history

Based upon results of preliminary testing, the Royal Yugoslav Air Force ordered a production batch of 12 IK-2 fighters, which were all delivered in 1937. When German forces invaded Yugoslavia on 6 April 1941, the only unit of the Yugoslav Air Force armed with the IK-2 was the 4th fighter regiment, composed of 33rd and 34th air force groups stationed at Bosanski Aleksandrovac airfield, in northwest Bosnia. The 4th fighter regiment was equipped with 18 Hawker Hurricanes and eight Ikarus IK-2 fighter aircraft.

Rovine airfield, situated north of Banja Luka, was the base of the Yugoslav 8th bomber regiment and its 24 Bristol Blenheim I bombers. During a German attack on the base on 7 April, five IK-2s together with five Hawker Hurricanes engaged German Messerschmitt 109 fighter aircraft. In the ensuing dogfight, the Yugoslav fighters managed to repel the 27 attacking German fighters, destroying two in the process at the cost of two Hurricanes and one IK-2 [http://www.elknet.pl/acestory/belgra/belgra2.htm] . For the rest of the short conflict IK-2s were used for strafing advancing German columns and on several occasions they scrambled in pursuit of German reconnaissance aircraft, but to no effect. At the end of the brief campaign the four surviving IK-2s were overhauled at the Ikarus aircraft plant in Zemun before being transferred by the Germans to the newly formed Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia.

Further Development

A proposed development of the IK-2 was the IK-4, a two seat reconnaissance monoplane, but it was never ordered.

Variants

* IK-1L : First prototype.
* IK-02 : Second prototype
* IK-2 : Single-seat fighter aircraft.
* IK-4 : Proposed two-seat reconnaissance aircraft. Not built.

Operators

;flagicon|Yugoslavia|kingdom Kingdom of Yugoslavia
*Yugoslavian Air Force;flagicon|Croatia|1941 Independent State of Croatia
*Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia

pecifications (Ikarus IK-2)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=
crew=one, pilot
capacity=
payload main=
payload alt=
length main= 25 ft 10 1/4 in
length alt= 7.88 m
span main= 37 ft 4 4/5 in
span alt= 11.40 m
height main= 12 ft 7 1/8 in
height alt= 3.84 m
area main= 193 3/4 ft²
area alt= 18.00 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 3,311 lb
empty weight alt= 1502 kg
loaded weight main= 4,094 lb
loaded weight alt= 1857 kg
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=
engine (prop)= Hispano-Suiza 12Ycrs liquid-cooled V12 engine
type of prop=3-bladed, adjustable pitch
number of props=1
power main= 860 shp
power alt= 642 kW
power original=
max speed main=270.3 mph at 16,400 ft
max speed alt= 435 km/h at 5000 m
cruise speed main= 155.3 mph
cruise speed alt= 250 km/h
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main= 435 miles
range alt= 700 km
ceiling main= 39,400 ft
ceiling alt= 12,000 m
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=22 lb/ft²
loading alt=107 kg/m²
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=0.21 hp/lb
power/mass alt=0.35 kW/kg
more performance=
armament=
* 1 × 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon with 60 rounds
* 2 × 7.92 mm Darne machine guns
avionics=

ee also

aircontent
related=
* Ikarus IK-4
similar aircraft=
* Avia B-534
* Hawker Fury
* PZL P.8
* PZL P.11
* PZL P.24
sequence=
lists=
see also=

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Green, William. "War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Four: Fighters". London: MacDonald & Co.(Publishers) Ltd., 1961 (sixth impression 1969). ISBN 0-356-01448-7.
* Grujic, Zlatomir. Airforce of Serbia and Yugoslavia 1901-1994 Belgrade: Military book, 1997. ISBN 86-335-0019-1.
* Oštrić, Šime I. and Janić, Čedomir J. "Ik Fighters (Yugoslavia: 1930-40s)" "Aircraft in Profile, Volume 13" (nos. 241-246). Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1973, p. 169-193. ISBN 0-85383-022-3.

External links

* [http://www.svetskirat.net/naoruzanje/ikarus.htm Ikarus IK 2] sr icon