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The Å koda-Kauba Sk 257 was a Czechoslovak-built fighter trainer monoplane built by
Å koda-Kauba
The Å koda-Kauba Flugzeugbau was a Czechoslovak aircraft manufacturer, formed during World War II as a joint venture between Otto Kauba and the Å koda Works. Kauba produced a number of innovative designs and the company built several prototypes, ...
Flugzeugbau for the
Luftwaffe
The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
.
Development
V4 prototypes
The Å koda-Kauba Flugzeugbau produced the Å koda-Kauba V4 as a single-seat low-wing cantilever monoplane powered by a 240 hp (179 kW)
Argus As 10C-3 engine with a retractable
tailwheel landing gear
Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft Landing gear, undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the Center of gravity of an aircraft, center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail ...
. The first prototype proved very fast for its low power. The second included a number of changes and, despite increased power, was not as fast. A third was also completed.
[Saffek, Otta and Plocek, Pierre; "Les Étranges Créations d'Otto Kauba", Le Fana de l'Aviation, No.272, July 1992, pp. 14–22. (French)]
Sk 257 trainer
The potential for development was recognized and the German
Reichsluftfahrtministerium
The Ministry of Aviation (, abbreviated RLM) was a government department during the period of Nazi Germany (1933–45). It is also the original name of the Detlev-Rohwedder-Haus building on the Wilhelmstrasse in central Berlin, Germany, which ...
ordered four prototypes of an enlarged aircraft with a more powerful 485 hp
Argus As 410
The Argus As 410 was a German air-cooled inverted V-12 aircraft engine that was first produced by Argus Motoren in 1938.
Design and development
The engine marked a departure from earlier Argus engines in that it had new construction techniques ...
engine and allocated the designation Sk 257.
The four prototypes performed well and the type was ordered into production but the build quality of the prototypes did not pass the Luftwaffe quality control inspections and after only five production aircraft had been built the order was cancelled.
V5 fighter project
Even before work on the Sk 257 began, Otto Kauba had begun work on a full-fledged fighter to have a 1,750 hp
Daimler Benz
Mercedes-Benz Group AG (formerly Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler, and Daimler) is a German multinational automotive company headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is one of the world's leading car manufacturers. Daimler-B ...
DB-603 engine. Though it was in direct competition with the
Focke-Wulf Ta 152
The Focke-Wulf Ta 152 is a German high-altitude fighter and interceptor aircraft designed by Kurt Tank and produced by Focke-Wulf. It entered production too late and in insufficient numbers to have a significant role in the Second World War.
...
, the RLM were not interested.
Specifications
See also
References
Notes
Bibliography
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External links
Skoda-Kauba Flugzeugbau
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skoda-Kauba Sk 257
1940s German military trainer aircraft
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Low-wing aircraft
SK 257
Aircraft with retractable conventional landing gear
Single-engined piston aircraft