Chikai Type 27 fighter
| Chikai Type 27 fighter | |
|---|---|
| File:Chikai Type 27 fighter.png | |
| Type 27 in common desert camouflage, and Lt. Han Chŏl-sun's cobalt blue model. | |
| Role | fighter aircraft |
| National origin | Greater Menghean Empire |
| Manufacturer | Chikai Aircraft Design Center |
| First flight | 1926 |
| Introduction | 1927 |
| Primary users | Imperial Menghean Army Air Force Dzhungestani Air Force |
| Produced | 1927-1934 |
The Chikai Type 27 fighter (Menghean: 치카이 27식 전투기 / 치카이二七式戰鬪機, Chikai i-chil-sik jŏntugi) is a single-engine parasol monoplane fighter used by the Imperial Menghean Army Air Force in the late 1920s and early 1930s. It saw extensive service in the "Prairie War" in Dzhungestan, where it performed well against its Themiclesian opponents. Nevertheless, by the time of the war's escalation in 1935 it was clearly obsolete, and surviving Type 27s were relegated to training or reconnaissance duties.
Development
In 1924, the Federative Republic of Menghe began a program to develop a domestic fighter aircraft, with the aim of replacing imported WSS-vintage surplus fighters. Development proceeded slowly, and both the Donghae Heavy Industries Group and the Chikai Aviation Design Center consulted extensively with foreign engineers to fine-tune their prototypes, but by 1926 Chikai had produced a relatively modern monoplane fighter which performed well in Army trials.
Kwon Chong-hoon's military coup of February 1927, however, upset the project's development. Concerned over Kwon's aggressive nationalist rhetoric toward its colonial enclave in Altagracia, Sylva blocked the sale of the Hispano-Suiza 8Fb inline engine, which was to have powered the production version of the Type 27. Desperate to salvage the project, Chikai solicited offers from Septentrion's major engineering companies to find a replacement engine. Krossa Motor Works, based out of Ostland, agreed to support Menghe, and Chikai successfully negotiated a contract for 240 KMW IV inline piston engines. Production of the modified Type 27 began later in the year.
Design
The Chikai Type 27 followed a fairly conventional design for its period, though it was among a minority of contemporary fighters in that it was a parasol monoplane rather than a biplane or sesquiplane. It had an open cockpit with a small glass windshield, and used non-retractable landing gear with a rear tailskid. The main armament consisted of two 7.5mm forward-firing machine guns, which were located under the wings, eliminating the need for an interruptor gear to fire through the propeller. As on contemporary planes, the pilot aimed using a crosshair-type iron sight.
The main powerplant, a 227-horsepower KMW-IV engine, followed a six-cylinder inline layout; because the plane had to be redesigned around the new powerplant, the cylinders protruded through an opening cut in the top of the engine cover. Exhaust was ducted through a single pipe running along the upper right side of the nose, which reportedly did little to prevent it from entering the cockpit.
Operational service
The Type 27 formed the backbone of the Imperial Menghean Army Air Force in 1933, when Menghe dispatched forces to Dzhungestan to repel Themiclesia's occupation of the country. Though the immensely more capable Chikai Type 33 fighter was just entering service that year, the Type 27 was still more numerous in combat-ready units, especially at the immediate outset of the war. A Type 27 flown by Lieutenant Han Chŏl-sun scored the first aerial kill of the Pan-Septentrion War on the day of Menghe's intervention, shooting down a Themiclesian reconnaissance plane near Dörözamyn; Han Chŏl-sun would go on to score six more air-to-air kills in his cobalt blue Type 27 before 1936.
While modest compared to the latest Sylvan and Tyrannian aircraft, the Type 27 was still more capable than the Themiclesian biplanes it encountered, which were 1910s-vintage war surplus bought off after the War of the Sylvan Succession. With a stronger powerplant and reduced drag, it could outrun and out-climb all of its opponents, though it had worse maneuverability owing to its greater weight and smaller wing area. Menghean pilots were instructed to make the most of the Type 27 by patrolling in groups at relatively high altitudes and diving on enemy aircraft in turns, avoiding a one-on-one turn fight. This tactic proved very effective against less experienced Themiclesian pilots.
Operational use on the northern steppe also revealed some flaws with the Type 27, which were corrected in its successors. The Ostlandian engine and radiator were designed for Central Casaterran climates, and exhibited poor reliability in hot, dusty Dzhungestan. The machine guns were also prone to jamming, and because they were located in the wings, there was no way for the pilot to manually operate the charging handles. The cockpit itself was also relatively far forward, giving the pilot a poor field of view above the parasol wing.
By 1935, Themiclesia had purchased more capable P-1 P-6 Hawk fighters from the Organized States of Columbia, erasing the Type 27's brief advantage in performance. War with Sylva in May 1935 also put Menghean fighters up against the latest foreign aircraft. Menghe responded by moving its remaining Type 27s to training or border reconnaissance duties, and selling some to the newly reconstituted Dzhungestani Air Force.
Specifications
General Characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 7.14 m (23 ft 5 in)
- Wingspan: 10.77 m (35 ft 4 in)
- Height: 2.32 m (7 ft 7 in) to wing surface, parked
- Wing area: 16.36 m² (176 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 985 kg (2,170 lb)
- Loaded weight: 1,405 kg (3,097 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × KMW IV 6-cylinder inline engine (170 kW; 228 hp)
Performance
- Never Exceed speed: 280 km/h (174 mph)
- Cruise speed: 145 km/h (90 mph)
- Range: 450 km (280 miles)
- Service ceiling: 5,200 m (17,060 ft)
- Time to 3,000 meters (9840 feet): 5 minutes
- Wing loading: 85.9 kg/m² (17.6 lb/sq ft)
Armament
- 2× fixed, forward-firing 7.5mm machine-gun