Fokker C.X

infobox Aircraft
name = C.X
type = Light recce, bomber aircraft
manufacturer = Fokker



caption = Finnish Fokker C.X
designer =
first flight =
introduced = 1933
retired =
status =
primary user =Royal Netherlands Air Force
more users = Finnish Air Force
produced =
number built =
unit cost =
developed from =

The Fokker C.X was a biplane scout and light bomber designed in 1933. It had a crew of two (a pilot and an observer).

It was originally designed for the Royal Dutch East Indies Army, in order to replace the Fokker C.V. Like all Fokker aircraft in that period, it was of mixed construction, with wooden wings and a welded frame covered with aluminium plates at the front of the aircraft and with linen at the back. The prototype was built in 1934 with a Rolls-Royce Kestrel V engine.

The East Indies Army ordered 13 C.Xs, but they were soon replaced in the scout/light bomber role by the American Martin B-10s. Until the Japanese attack on the Dutch East Indies in 1941, the C.X remained in use as a trainer and target tug.

The Dutch Air Force ordered 16 C.Xs, and four more C.Xs with Kestrel IIS engines. These four were later re-equipped with Kestrel V engines, because the Kestrel IIS was not very reliable.

Two C.Xs were delivered to the Spanish Republic, and four more to Finland. The Finnish also license-produced 35 C.Xs until 1942. These C.Xs were equipped with Bristol Pegasus XII engines.

Operational history

During the German attack on the Netherlands in May 1940, the C.Xs served in their intended role as scouts and light bombers. They were far too slow to compete with German aircraft such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109, but the tactic of "hu-bo-be" ("huisje-boompje-beestje", Dutch for "house-tree-animal"), which involved flying very close to the ground, allowed the C.Xs to achieve some measure of success. Two C.Xs and their crews even managed to reach France after the Dutch surrender.

The Finnish C.Xs served with distinction in the Winter War, the Continuation War and the Lapland War. The last of the 7 Finnish C.Xs that survived the war crashed in 1958. The craft, designated FK-111, served as a target-towing craft in the Finnish Air Force. The plane crashed into a forest January 21 1958, killing the pilot (2nd Ltn Aimo Allinen) and the winch-operator (2nd Ltn Antti Kukkonen).

Variants

* C.X Series I : Dutch-built aircraft.
* C.X Seriers II : Four aircraft sold to Finland.
* C.X Seriers III : Built under licence in Finland.
* C.X Seriers IV : Built under licence in Finland.

pecifications (C.X)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=Bombers a guide to Bombers of World War II [Gunston, Bill, "An Illustrated guide to Bombers of World War II", Salamander. ISBN 0-86101-069-8]
crew=Two
capacity=
length main=(Dutch) 9.2m (Finnish) 9.1m
length alt=(Dutch)30 ft 2.25 in (Finnish) 29 ft 9 in
span main=12.00 m
span alt=39 ft 4.5 in
height main=3.30 m
height alt=10 ft 10 in
area main=
area alt=
airfoil=
empty weight main= (Dutch and Finnish) Approx 1400 kg
empty weight alt=
loaded weight main= (Dutch)2250 kg (Finnish)2500 kg
loaded weight alt=
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=2,900 kg
max takeoff weight alt=6,393 lbs
more general=
engine (prop)=(Dutch) 650hp Rolls Royce Kestrel V12 liquid cooled. (Finnish) License built 850hp Bristol Pegasus XII nine-cylinder radial.
type of prop=
number of props=1
power main= (Dutch) 650hp (Finnish) 850hp
power alt=
power original=
max speed main= (Dutch) 199mph (Finnish) 211mph
max speed alt=
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main= (Dutch)516 miles (Finnish) 522 miles
range alt=
ceiling main=(Dutch) 8300m (Finnish) 8400m
ceiling alt=(Dutch) 27,230ft (Finnish) 27,560ft
climb rate main=8.3 m/s
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
armament=2x 7.9mm machine guns fixed in top of front fuselage and a third manually aimed from rear cockpit. Underwing racks for two 385lb (175kg) or four 221lb (100kg) bombs.
avionics=

Operators

*FIN: Finnish Air Force (39)
*NLD: Royal Netherlands Air Force (20), Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force (13)
*flag|Spain|1931: Republican Spanish Air Force (2)

References