- Design and development
- Operational history
- Variants
- Specifications (Š-20)
- See also
- References
- Further reading
| name=Š-20 and Š-21 | image=Letoun Š.20.jpg | caption=Š-20 }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type=Fighter | national origin=Czechoslovakia | manufacturer=Letov | designer= | first flight=1925 | introduced= | retired= | status= | primary user= | number built=ca 118 | developed from= | variants with their own articles=
}} |
The Letov Š-20 was a fighter aircraft produced in Czechoslovakia during the 1920s. {{TOC limit|limit=2}}Design and developmentThe Letov Š-20 was a conventional, single-bay biplane with unstaggered wings, braced by N-struts. In overall appearance, it greatly resembled contemporary SPAD fighters. The fuselage and empennage were of welded steel tube construction and covered in fabric. The wings had a tubular metal spar but were otherwise wooden, and also fabric-covered.[1] The Czechoslovakian Air Force bought 105 machines, and ten examples were produced for Lithuania under the designation Š-20L. These remained in service until 1936 and 1935 respectively. Operational historyAn Š-20 placed second in the single-engine category of the national President of the Republic air race in 1925, but fared better the following year. In the 1926 race, an Š-20 not only won this category, but also set a new national airspeed record of 234 km/h (146 mph). This record was short-lived, however, since the prize for the fastest circuit was also won in an Š-20, and this raised the record to 245 km/h (153 mph).[2] A single prototype of an unarmed advanced trainer version was built as the Š-21, but this did not sell. Variants- Š-20 – initial production version
- Š-20M – revised version with slimmed down rear fuselage (main production version for Czechoslovakia)
- Š-20L – export version for Lithuania (eight built)
- Š-20R – version with further revisions to fuselage (one built)
- Š-20J – version with Walter-built Bristol Jupiter engine
- Š-21 – trainer version with Hispano-Suiza 8Aa engine (one built)
Specifications (Š-20){{Aircraft specs
|ref=Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1928[3]
|prime units?=met
|crew=1
|span m=9.6
|length=7.44
|height m=2.56
|wing area sqm=18.4
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=740
|gross weight kg=1050
|max takeoff weight kg=
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Škoda-built Hispano-Suiza 8Fb
|eng1 type=V-8 water-cooled piston engine
|eng1 hp=296
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=wooden fixed-pitch propeller
|prop dia m=
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|prop dia note=
|max speed kmh=257.5
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed mph=
|stall speed kts=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|range km=528
|combat range km=
|combat range miles=
|combat range nmi=
|combat range note=
|ferry range km=
|ferry range miles=
|ferry range nmi=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=2 hours 10 minutes
|ceiling m=7250
|g limits=
|roll rate=
|climb rate ms=6
|time to altitude={{cvt|5000|m}} in 13 minutes 40 seconds
|wing loading kg/m2=57
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass={{cvt|0.1316|hp/lb|kW/kg|order=flip}}
|more performance=
|guns=2x fixed, forward-firing, synchronised {{cvt|7.7|mm|3}} Vickers machine-guns (ZB vz.09) in the forward fuselage upper decking
}}
See also{{aircontent|
|related=
|similar aircraft=
|sequence=
|lists=- List of Interwar military aircraft
|see also=
}}References{{commons category|Letov aircraft}}Notes1. ^Taylor 1989, p. 573.
2. ^Taylor 1969, p. 63.
3. ^{{cite book |title=Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1928 |editor1-last=Grey |editor1-first=C.G. |year=1928 |publisher=Sampson Low, Marston & company, ltd |location=London |page=79c}}
Further reading- {{cite book|last1=Němeček|first1=Václav|title=Československá letadla|date=1968|publisher=Naše Vojsko|location=Prague|language=Czech}}
- {{cite book|last1=Taylor|first1=John W. R. |last2=Alexander |first2=Jean |display-authors=etal|title=Combat aircraft of the world |date=1969 |publisher=Ebury P.; Michael Joseph |location=London |isbn=0-71810-564-8 |page=65}}
- {{cite book|last1=Taylor|first1=Michael J.H.|last2=Gunston|first2=Bill|display-authors=etal|title=Jane's encyclopedia of aviation|date=1989|publisher=Portland House|location=New York|isbn=0-517-69186-8}}
{{Letov aircraft}} 5 : Czechoslovakian fighter aircraft 1920–1929|Letov aircraft|Biplanes|Single-engined tractor aircraft|Aircraft first flown in 1925 |