The Hispano Aviación HA-1109 and HA-1112 are licence-built versions of the

Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War an ...

G-2 developed in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

during and after World War II.

Design and development

In 1942, the Spanish government arranged a manufacturing

licence A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

with

Messerschmitt AG Messerschmitt AG () was a German share-ownership limited, aircraft manufacturing corporation named after its chief designer Willy Messerschmitt from mid-July 1938 onwards, and known primarily for its World War II fighter aircraft, in parti ...

to build the Bf 109G-2, although the DB 605A engines, propellers, instruments and weapons were to be supplied from Germany. This proved impossible as Germany was incapable of meeting its own needs, let alone Spain's, and only 25 airframes (without their tails) and less than half the necessary drawings were actually delivered. Consequently,

Hispano Aviación Hispano Aviación was a Hispano-Suiza aircraft factory in Andalusia, southern Spain which became a separate enterprise when taken over by the Francisco Franco led "Nationalist" forces in 1939, during the Spanish Civil War. Located in Tablada ...

replaced the DB 605A engine with the 1,300 hp HS 89-12Z and the project was renamed Bf 109J by Messerschmitt. The HS 89-12Z engine performed a successful flight in a Bf 109E used as a flying testbed in Barcelona in 1944, and the first HA-1109-J1L made its maiden flight on 2 March 1945 in

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Penins ...

, using a VDM propeller and lash-up engine mounting.Fitzsimons, p.1193, "HA-1109/1112". The remaining 24 airframes were flown during 1947–9 with Escher-Wyss props, but never became operational. In May 1951, a developed version, the HA-1112-K1L, improved the Hispano-Suiza, HS 17-12Z engine installation, and carried either one or two 12.7mm

Breda Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles ...

s and

Pilatus Pilatus may refer to: People * Pontius Pilate (Latin: Pontius Pilatus, died 39 AD), Roman governor of Judea * Leontius Pilatus (died 1366), Greek Calabrian scholar * Rob Pilatus (1965–1998), artist and member of group Milli Vanilli Other uses * ...

eight-packs of 80mm rockets. Its three-bladed de Havilland Hydromatic propeller earned it the nickname ''Tripala'' ("three blades"). It first flew in 1951, and although 200 were planned only 65 were built. The Hispano engine was an upright V12 instead of the inverted V12 Daimler-Benz DB 601 & 605 engines used in the Bf 109 but, being of compact design, it fitted the airframe of the Bf 109 well and was able to credibly represent the Bf 109 in the German 1957 film ''Der Stern von Afrika'' (''The Star of Africa'') about

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-Fliegerabt ...

ace

Hans-Joachim Marseille Hans-Joachim Marseille (; 13 December 1919 – 30 September 1942) was a German Luftwaffe fighter pilot and flying ace during World War II. He is noted for his aerial battles during the North African Campaign and his Bohemian lifestyle. One o ...

. The original design, starting with the Bf 109F, had an asymmetrical tail-fin aerofoil with a left deflection to counteract the torque from the Daimler-Benz's clockwise rotation. Because this was left unchanged in the Buchón despite the Hispano V12 having a counter-clockwise rotation, the tail and the engine together induced a right swing on takeoff that was hard to counteract. A second version, the HA-1110-K1L, was a two-place tandem trainer model.

HA-1112-M1L

The final variant was the HA-1112-M1L ''Buchón'' (

Pouter The Pouter pigeons are domesticated varieties of the rock dove, ''Columba livia'', characterized by a very large, inflatable crop. They are kept as ornamental or fancy breeds, valued for their unusual appearance. There are many varieties of pout ...

), which is a male dove in Spanish. It first flew on 29 March 1954 with a 1,600 hp

Rolls-Royce Merlin The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British liquid-cooled V-12 piston aero engine of 27-litres (1,650 cu in) capacity. Rolls-Royce designed the engine and first ran it in 1933 as a private venture. Initially known as the PV-12, it was late ...

500-45Fitzsimons, p.1194, "HA-1109/1112". engine and

Rotol Dowty Propellers is a British engineering company based in Brockworth, Gloucestershire that specialises in the manufacture, repair and overhaul of propellers and propeller components for customers around the world. It is owned by General Elect ...

propeller, both purchased as surplus from the UK. This engine had a chin intake that altered the lines of the Bf 109's airframe. It was an improvised assembly of outdated components but this was appropriate for the intended purpose of controlling Spanish colonial territories in Africa, where more sophisticated technology was both unnecessary and unavailable in isolated Spain at the time. It carried two 20 mm Hispano-Suiza 404/408 cannons and two Oerlikon or

eight-packs of 80 mm rockets and remained in service until 27 December 1965.

In film

Due to their longevity, Buchóns have appeared in several

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...

s masquerading as Bf 109Es and Gs. in movies such as ''Battle of Britain'' (alongside

CASA 2.111 The CASA 2.111 was a medium bomber derived from the Heinkel He 111 and produced in Spain under licence by Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA). The 2.111 models differed significantly in details from Heinkel's wartime He 111H design while using ...

bombers, a Spanish-built version of the

Heinkel He 111 The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a " wolf in sheep's clothing". Due to restrictions placed on Germany after t ...

), ''

Der Stern von Afrika ''Der Stern von Afrika'' () is a 1957 black-and-white German war film portraying the combat career of a World War II Luftwaffe fighter pilot Hans-Joachim Marseille. The film stars Joachim Hansen and Marianne Koch and was directed by Alfred Weid ...

'', ''Memphis Belle'', ''Dunkirk'', and ''

The Tuskegee Airmen ''The Tuskegee Airmen'' is a 1995 HBO television movie based on the exploits of an actual groundbreaking unit, the first African-American combat pilots in the United States Army Air Corps, that fought in World War II. The film was directed by Ro ...

''. ''Buchons'' also played the Bf 109's opposition, the

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness b ...

, in one scene in ''Battle of Britain''.

Variants

;HA-1109-J1L :1945the initial 25 units built of the Bf 109 G-2 aircraft, from German production, with

Hispano-Suiza 12Z The 12Z, designated Type 89 by the company, was the final evolution of the series of Hispano-Suiza V-12 aircraft engines. The Z model had just entered production when France fell to the Germans during World War II. A small number were produced du ...

-89 engines fitted, in lieu of

Daimler-Benz DB 605 The Daimler-Benz DB 605 is a German aircraft engine built during World War II. Developed from the DB 601, the DB 605 was used from 1942 to 1945 in the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter, and the Bf 110 and Me 210C heavy fighters. The DB 610, a pa ...

A's, using VDM or Escher-Wyss propellers. Not used operationally. ;HA-1109-K1L :1951first production of HA-1112-K1L. Fitted with a Hispano-Suiza 12Z-17 engine and a de Havilland Hydromatic propeller in an improved installation, this version appeared in May 1951 armed with two Hispano HS-404 20mm cannon and 80mm rockets. 25 conversions from a HA-1109-J1L. ;HA-1109-M1L :prototype of HA-1112-M1L. A single aircraft modified with a Rolls-Royce Merlin 500-45 engine. One conversion from a HA-1112-K1L. ;HA-1110-K1L :Hispano powered two-seat trainer version. Used operationally. One built. ;HA-1110-M1L :RR Merlin powered two-seat trainer version. Project only. ;HA-1111-K1L :Hispano powered two-seat trainer version with wingtip mounted fuel tanks. Project only. ;HA-1112-K1L "Tripala" :1951used operationally. 65 built (25 conversions from a HA-1109-K1L). ;HA-1112-M1L "Buchon" :1954the final variant fitted with a RR Merlin engine and armed with two Hispano HS-404 20mm cannon and 80mm rockets. Used operationally. 172 built. ;HA-1112-M4L :Merlin engined two-seat trainer. Used operationally. One built and one conversion from a HA-1110-K1L.

Aircraft on display

* 56 – HA-1112-K1L on static display at the Museo del Aire in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

. * 67 – HA-1112-M1L airworthy with Spitfire Ltd. of St. Helier, Jersey. * 133 – HA-1112-M1L airworthy at the

Military Aviation Museum The Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia, is home to one of the world's largest collections of warbirds in flying condition. It includes examples from Germany, France, Italy, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, from ...

Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

. It has been converted to resemble a Bf 109 by Meier Motors. * 164 – HA-1112-M1L in storage at the

Canada Aviation and Space Museum The Canada Aviation and Space Museum (french: link=no, Musée de l'Aviation et de l'Espace du Canada) (formerly the Canada Aviation Museum and National Aeronautical Collection) is Canada's national aviation history museum. The museum is locate ...

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. * 171 – HA-1112-M1L on static display at the

Air Zoo The Air Zoo, founded as the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum, is an aviation museum and indoor amusement park next to the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport in Portage, Michigan. The Air Zoo holds many historical and rare aircraft, inc ...

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. * 186 – HA-1112-M1L on static display at the

Museum of Flight The Museum of Flight is a private non-profit air and space museum in the Seattle metropolitan area. It is located at the southern end of King County International Airport (Boeing Field) in the city of Tukwila, immediately south of Seattle. ...

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. * 193 – HA-1112-M1L airworthy at the Erickson Aircraft Collection in

Madras, Oregon Madras ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Oregon, United States. Originally called "The Basin" after the circular valley the city is in, it is unclear whether Madras was named in 1903 for the cotton fabric called "Madras" ...

. It was restored to resemble a Bf 109 by Pacific Fighters. * 199 – HA-1112-M1L on static display at the

EAA AirVenture Museum The EAA Aviation Museum, formerly the EAA AirVenture Museum (or Air Adventure Museum), is a museum dedicated to the preservation and display of historic and experimental aircraft as well as antiques, classics, and warbirds. The museum is lo ...

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. * 211 – HA-1112-M1L on static display at the Museo del Aire in Madrid. * 235 – HA-1112-M1L airworthy at the

Cavanaugh Flight Museum The Cavanaugh Flight Museum is an aviation museum in Addison, Texas, with a non-profit 501(c)(3) status for aviation educational. Mission The Museum promotes aviation education, research and American aviation heritage. Further, the Museum pro ...

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Specifications (HA-1112-K1L)

References

Notes

Sources

* ''Original pictures and data of this article were taken from Museo del Aire, Cuatro Vientos, Madrid, Spain'' * Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. ''Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare'' (London: Phoebus, 1978), Volume 11, p. 1193-4, "HA-1109/1112". * http://simviation.com/fsdcbainmm.htm * https://web.archive.org/web/20081016094929/http://www.xs4all.nl/~tozu/me109/foreign/109-spain.htm * Monográficos Aéreos: H.A. 1112-M1L "Buchón" - Pedro Miguel Paniagua Magán -

External links

Hispano HA-1109
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hispano Aviacion HA-1112 Hispano aircraft 1950s Spanish fighter aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft History of the Spanish Air Force Messerschmitt Bf 109 Aircraft first flown in 1954 Retractable conventional landing gear