Avia B.534

Single-Seat, Single-Engine Biplane Fighter Aircraft (1934)

Aviation / Aerospace

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The overlooked Avia B.534, originating out of Czechoslovakia, was at the pinnacle of biplane fighter design in the pre-World War 2 period.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 06/07/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

The Czechoslovakian Avia B.534 series of biplane was a highly regarded though often forgotten product of the European nation. Some reports make it the best aircraft of its category during its early run through the 1930s. Such was the performance of the machine that the German Luftwaffe would briefly setup a fighter squadron utilizing captured B.534 aircraft.

Simply put, the Avia B.534 can be thought of as a melding of two ages in aviation history. The B.534 featured a static undercarriage and coupled with its throwback biplane wing assembly. Under that outdated facade was also four 7.7mm synchronized machine guns, a powerful 850 horsepower engine capable of 245 miles per hour and the ability for the weapon system to carry no fewer than six 44lb bombs. Handling of the system was reported to be favorable, so much so that this combination of speed, handling and firepower was highly respected.

Fuselage construction of the Avia B.534 was a unique mix of fabric-covered steel-structured wing assemblies. The fuselage, as a whole, was highly aerodynamic in nature, complete with an enclosed cockpit. The operational flight ceiling of over 30,000 necessitated this feature.

Avia B.534's would eventually see combat against the invading German forces, for the conquering German forces against the Soviet Union and ultimately phased out of service after completing several, less note-worthy, roles.

Specifications

Service Year

1934

Origin

Czechoslovakia

Status

RETIRED
Not in Service.

Crew

1

Production

300
UNITS

Avia - Czechoslovakia

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Czechoslovakia; Nazi Germany

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.

✓ Interception
Ability to intercept inbound aerial threats by way of high-performance, typically speed and rate-of-climb.

Length

26.9 ft
(8.20 m)

Width/Span

30.8 ft
(9.40 m)

Height

10.2 ft
(3.10 m)

Empty Wgt

3,219 lb
(1,460 kg)

MTOW

4,674 lb
(2,120 kg)

Wgt Diff

+1,455 lb
(+660 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the Avia B.534-IV production variant)

Installed: 1 x Hispano-Suiza HS 12Ydrs inline piston engine developing 850 horsepower driving a two-bladed propeller unit at the nose.

Max Speed

245 mph
(394 kph | 213 kts)

Ceiling

34,777 ft
(10,600 m | 7 mi)

Range

360 mi
(580 km | 1,074 nm)

Rate-of-Climb

2,953 ft/min
(900 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Avia B.534-IV production variant. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database. View aircraft by powerplant type)

STANDARD:
4 x 7.7mm machine guns synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades.

OPTIONAL:
6 x 44lb bombs

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun

Graphical image of an aircraft conventional drop bomb munition

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 6

B.234 - Base Series Designation

B.234-IV

General Assessment

Firepower

Performance

Survivability

Versatility

Impact

Values are derrived from a variety of categories related to the design, overall function, and historical influence of this aircraft in aviation history.

Overall Rating

The overall rating takes into account over 60 individual factors related to this aircraft entry.

20

Rating is out of a possible 100 points.

Relative Maximum Speed

Hi: 300mph

Lo: 150mph

This entry's maximum listed speed (245mph).

Graph average of 225 miles-per-hour.

City-to-City Ranges

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Avia B.534-IV operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

Max Altitude Visualization

Design Balance

The 3 qualities we look at for a balanced aircraft design are altitude, speed, and range.

Aviation Era Span

Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.

Unit Production (300)

300

36183

44000

This entry's total production compared against the most-produced military and civilian aircraft types in history (Ilyushin IL-2 and Cessna 172, respectively).

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