The Aero A.100 was a

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

light

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped ...

and

reconnaissance aircraft A reconnaissance aircraft (colloquially, a spy plane) is a military aircraft designed or adapted to perform aerial reconnaissance with roles including collection of imagery intelligence (including using photography), signals intelligence, as ...

built in

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

during the 1930s. It was the final step in a design lineage that extended back to the Aero A.11 a decade earlier. A.100s remained in service throughout

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and for a few years postwar.

Design and development

Development of the A.100 was in response to a

Czechoslovak Air Force The Czechoslovak Air Force (''Československé letectvo'') or the Czechoslovak Army Air Force (''Československé vojenské letectvo'') was the air force branch of the Czechoslovak Army formed in October 1918. The armed forces of Czechoslovakia ce ...

requirement of 1932 for a uniform replacement for the A.11s, Aero Ap.32s, and Letov Š.16s then in service. Work began with a revision of the Aero A.430 that quickly became quite a different aircraft. Of standard biplane configuration, the A.100 was a somewhat ungainly-looking aircraft which was obsolescent by the time of its first flight in 1933, becoming a member of the final generation of biplane military aircraft to be designed in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

Operational history

Nevertheless, since the only other competitor for the air force contract, the Praga E.36, had not flown by the close of tenders, the A.100 was ordered for production. A total of 44 were built, in two batches.Sharpe 2000, p. 17.

Further development

The Aero A.100 was later developed into Aero A.101 with Praga Isotta Fraschini Asso 1000 RV engine (800 h.p.), first flying in December 1934, this type served in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

curiously on both sides of the conflict. Further development led to Aero Ab.101 (enlarged hull and wings plus Avia Hispano Suiza HS 12 Ydrs engine rated 860 h.p.) produced from 1936 to 1937 and serving in the

up to its dissolution in March 1939. Final stage of the development was Aero A.104, where Ab.101 was converted to a high-wing

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

with enclosed cockpit, only one prototype was built in 1937.

Specifications (A.100)

Operators

; *

Czechoslovakian Air Force The Czechoslovak Air Force (''Československé letectvo'') or the Czechoslovak Army Air Force (''Československé vojenské letectvo'') was the air force branch of the Czechoslovak Army formed in October 1918. The armed forces of Czechoslovakia ce ...

; *''

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

'' (small numbers)Ketley and Rolfe 1996, p. 11. ; * Slovak Air Force (1939-1945)

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Ketley, Barry and Mark Rolfe. ''Luftwaffe Fledglings 1935-1945: Luftwaffe Training Units and their Aircraft''. Aldershot, UK: Hikoki Publications, 1996. . * Sharpe, Michael. ''Biplanes, Triplanes, and Seaplanes''. London: Friedman/Fairfax Books, 2000. . * Taylor, John W. R. and Jean Alexander. ''Combat Aircraft of the World.'' New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. . * Taylor, Michael J.H., ed. ''Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation (2nd ed.)''. New York: Portland House, 1989. . {{Aero Vodochody aircraft 1930s Czechoslovakian bomber aircraft 1930s Czechoslovakian military reconnaissance aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes A100 Aircraft first flown in 1933

Design and development

Operational history

Further development

Specifications (A.100)

Operators

See also

References