VL Kotka
VL E.30 Kotka was a two-seat Finnish biplane of 1930., He was manufactured by the State Aircraft Factory Valtion lentokonetehdas (VL). The aircraft was used as a maritime patrol aircraft of the Finnish Air Force in November 1930. She was there to replace the outdated Blackburn Ripon.
History and construction
The prototype, equipped with an air-cooled Bristol Jupiter IV 9-cylinder engine with an output of 420 hp, first flew on September 30, 1930 and was called Kotka I. As of June 1931 began series production of the Kotka II, which was in contrast to the prototype only slightly modified. The first production aircraft was equipped with the same engine as the prototype. The second and the fourth series machine initially received the 575 -hp Pratt & Whitney R- 1690 -B Hornet, but were from March 1934 converted to the equally powerful Wright R -1820 -E Cyclone, with the third and fifth series machine directly from factory were equipped. It stayed with the five copies, the last of which was in service until 1945.
The planes were both in the Winter War 1939/40, and in the Continuation War 1941-1944 in use. The machines were partly equipped with double floats.
Museum aircraft
A Kotka II ( No.4, KA -147 ) still exists today as a hull fragment in Päijät -Häme Aviation Museum at the airport Lahti Vesivehmaa ( EFLA ).
Versions
Military use
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