The Aero A.18, which emerged in the 1920s, was a biplane fighter aircraft that originated from Czechoslovakia.
This aircraft was an evolution of the Ae 02 and Ae 04 fighters, which Aero had previously crafted during World War I.
Additionally, the A.18 drew inspiration from the A.11 reconnaissance-bomber design, which was a more contemporary creation.
The A.18, which took its maiden flight in March 1923, was meticulously crafted by Antonin Vlasák and Antonin Husnik.
Among the trio of prototype fighters that Aero introduced that year, the A.18 emerged as the chosen one for production, surpassing its competitors, the A.19 and A.20.
During the interwar period, the Czechoslovak Air Force utilised a total of twenty machines.
Among these, the A.18B and A.18C stood out as racing variants that underwent special modifications.
These aircraft participated in the inaugural and second annual air races organised by the Czech Aero Club in 1923 and 1924, respectively.
Impressively, both the A.18B and A.18C emerged victorious in their respective races.
Specifications
Crew
1
Length
5.9 m (19 ft 4 in)
Wingspan
7.6 m (24 ft 11 in)
Height
2.86 m (9 ft 5 in)
Wing area
15.9 m2 (171 sq ft)
Empty weight
637 kg (1,404 lb)
Gross weight
862 kg (1,900 lb)
Powerplant
1 × BMW IIIa, 6 cyl water cooled inline piston engine,
138 kW (185 hp)
Propellers
2-bladed wooden fixed pitch propeller
Performance
Maximum speed
229 km/h (142 mph, 124 kn)
Range
400 km (250 mi, 220 nmi)
Service ceiling
9,000 m (30,000 ft)
Rate of climb
9.8 m/s (1,930 ft/min)
Wing loading
55.8 kg/m2 (11.4 lb/sq ft)
Power/mass
0.1565 kW/kg (0.0952 hp/lb)
Armament
2 × 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Vickers machine-guns.
Sources
Czechoslovakian Air Force, 1918-1970, Aircam Aviation Special 05-Richard Ward, Zdenek Titz & Gordon C. Davies.
Ceskoslovenské Letectvo, 1918-1924-Jiří Rajlich & Jiří Sehnal.
