Cukurs C.6bis was a

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

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dive bomber A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact througho ...

aircraft designed by Herberts Cukurs in 1940.

Development

The aircraft was based on the Cukurs C.6 ''Trīs zvaigznes'' (Three stars) trainer which was known for its 1937 flight from

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...

to Tokyo and return. Work on the C.6bis started in 1939, with the first test flights in 1940. Soon after first test flights the Latvian Air Force accepted the aircraft and ordered twelve. Test flights were halted on the 7 June 1940, just 10 days before the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940. During the occupation the Red Army expressed interest in the C.6bis and test flew it, but they determined that it was unsuitable for use. Only one example was built and its fate remains unknown.

Specifications (C.6bis)

References

{{reflist 1930s Latvian military aircraft 1930s bomber aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1940