Renard R.37

Single-Seat All-Metal Monoplane Fighter Prototype Aircraft

Belgium | 1940

"The Renard R.37 was not yet ready when the Germans invaded Belgium in May of 1940 - the prototype was flown for the first time by a Luftwaffe pilot."

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Renard R.37 Single-Seat All-Metal Monoplane Fighter Prototype Aircraft.

1 x Gnome-Rhone 14N-21 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine developing 1,100 horsepower and driving a three-bladed propeller unit at the nose.
Propulsion

317 mph
510 kph | 275 kts
Max Speed

32,808 ft
10,000 m | 6 miles
Service Ceiling

621 miles
1,000 km | 540 nm
Operational Range

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Renard R.37 Single-Seat All-Metal Monoplane Fighter Prototype Aircraft.

1
(MANNED)
Crew

27.6 ft
8.40 m
O/A Length

38.2 ft
(11.65 m)
O/A Width

9.5 ft
(2.90 m)
O/A Height

3,990 lb
(1,810 kg)
Empty Weight

5,512 lb
(2,500 kg)
MTOW

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Renard R.37 Single-Seat All-Metal Monoplane Fighter Prototype Aircraft .

PROPOSED:
2 x 13.2mm Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs) in wings (one per wing).
4 x 7.7mm Medium Machine Guns (MMGs) in wings (two per wing).

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Renard R.37 family line.

R.37 - Base Series Designation; lone prototype completed and flown in 1940; unknown fate.

R.37B - Proposed two-seat ground-attacker form of the R.37 fighter model.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/09/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The brothers Renard of Belgium ultimately failed in their earlier attempts to secure fighter production contracts with the Belgian Air Force prior to World War 2 (1939-1945). This included the Epervier ("Sparrowhawk") of the late-1920s and the R.36 all-metal monoplane fighter of the early-1930s (both detailed elsewhere on this site). With war against Germany imminent, there proved a sense of urgency in Belgian aero-industry to develop an in-house solution for the ultimate defense of the homeland. To this point, the air force service was stocked mainly by foreign types.

The work on the now-abandoned R.36 was not a total loss with the demise of the sole prototype in January of 1939 for its framework now made up the basis of a new all-metal monoplane fighter of all-modern design. This led to the "R.37" being formulated against the backdrop of impending invasion from neighboring Germany.

The new fighter incorporated the Gnome-Rhone 14N-21 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine offering upwards of 1,100 horsepower instead of the liquid-cooled inline type of 900+ horsepower seen in the R.36 model. A vented ring was used for aspirating the large radial as an oversized spinner was set at the propeller hub to incorporate a noticeable streamlined quality. Another notable design feature was internal as some of the generated exhaust gasses were recycled in the action to produce a slight boost to overall thrust.

As a combat-centric fighter type, the R.37 was envisioned with an armament load out of 2 x 13.2mm heavy machine guns and 4 x 7.7mm medium machine guns, all mounted to the wings (unlike the R.36 which was to feature an engine-mounted 20mm autocannon as well as wing-mounted machine guns).

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Outwardly, the R-37 mimicked most of the form and function of its predecessor: its wing shape (largely rounded) was similar in design and its placement well-ahead of midships was nearly identical. The cockpit was positioned at midships with limited vision and the tail unit was conventional. Metal construction and metal skinning was used throughout the aircraft. The undercarriage was retractable and of the "tail-dragger" arrangement - a common trait for fighters of the period. The noticeable difference between the R.37 and its earlier R.36 form was the large spinner situated at the nose and the oversized nose section as a whole - this forced upon the engineers to better house the larger air cooled radial engine fit.

The R.37 was put on static display in July of 1939 at Salon de Bruxelles to help showcase Belgian combat fighter mastery under the shadow of war - but at this point the sole prototype had yet to fly. Its time had run out for, in September of 1939, Germany invaded neighboring Poland to begin World War 2 (1939-1945) and, from there, Hitler turned his attentions to France and Low Countries, resulting in the fall of Belgium in May of 1940. With this, the R.37 was confiscated by the arriving and occupying Germans and, unknowingly, the prototype received its first-flight (under Luftwaffe pilot control) that same year. Beyond this seemingly successful flight, little more was had on the R.37 project for there appears to be no continuing record.

Renard was also working on a two-seat ground attacker form of the R.37 to be designated as the "R.37B" but little traction was gained on this variant prior to the German invasion. The R.38 fighter form was developed in parallel but it, too, suffered with the German invasion of 1940 and was scrapped by the occupiers.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Renard R.37. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 1 Units
Contractor(s): Renard Brothers - Belgium

[ Belgium (cancelled); Nazi Germany (tested) ]

1 / 1

Image from the Public Domain.

Going Further...
The Renard R.37 Single-Seat All-Metal Monoplane Fighter Prototype Aircraft appears in the following collections:

HOME

AVIATION INDEX

AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY

AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Scale Military Ranks of the World U.S. Department of Defense Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols Breakdown U.S. 5-Star Generals List WWII Weapons by Country World War Next

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.

©2024 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2024 (21yrs)