PZL P.23 Karas

Reconnaissance / Light Bomber Aircraft

Poland | 1936

"In 1939, Poland could field just under 100 of the outclassed PZL P.23 systems against the German Luftwaffe."

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the PZL P.23A Karas Reconnaissance / Light Bomber Aircraft.

1 x PZL Bristol Pegasus IIM2 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine developing 670 horsepower.
Propulsion

189 mph
304 kph | 164 kts
Max Speed

23,950 ft
7,300 m | 5 miles
Service Ceiling

783 miles
1,260 km | 680 nm
Operational Range

1,280 ft/min
390 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the PZL P.23A Karas Reconnaissance / Light Bomber Aircraft.

3
(MANNED)
Crew

31.8 ft
9.68 m
O/A Length

45.8 ft
(13.95 m)
O/A Width

10.8 ft
(3.30 m)
O/A Height

4,365 lb
(1,980 kg)
Empty Weight

7,773 lb
(3,526 kg)
MTOW

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the PZL P.23 Karas Reconnaissance / Light Bomber Aircraft .

STANDARD:
1 x 7.92mm PWU wz.33 machine gun in fixed nose position
1 x 7.92mm PWU wz.37 / Vickers F in rear dorsal gun position
1 x 7.92mm PWU wz.37 / Vickers F machine gun in rear ventral gun position

OPTIONAL:
Up to 1,543lb of external drop ordnance.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the PZL P.23 Karas family line.

P.23/I - Initial Prototype

P.23/II - Second Prototype

P.23/III - Third Prototype; improved pilot vision from cockpit by repositioning engine and pilot's seat; became basis of production model line as the PZL.23A.

P.23A - Initial Production Model; fitted with Bristol Pegasus IIM2 radial piston engine of 670 horsepower (Poland production under license); 40 examples produced.

PZL.23B - Fitted with Bristol Pegasus VII of 720 horsepower; main production model with 210 examples produced.

P.42 - Single Example Experimental Model; retractable bombardier gondola fuselage position; double tail fins for improved stability.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 09/24/2020 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The PZL P.23 "Karas" (meaning "the crucian carp") series of aircraft was a conventional - yet outdated - monoplane light bomber / reconnaissance platform of Polish design in World War 2. The system was wholly inadequate in speed, firepower and performance against the fighters of the German Luftwaffe and fell in number. Many were lost on the ground while those that did fly in anger, were limited not by their crew's will but moreso in the technological limitations of a by-gone age of military aviation.

Classified as light bomber, the P.23 also undertook reconnaissance sorties as required. Hardly a fighter with very little in the way to defend itself as a light bomber, the aircraft was better reserved to the non-combat reconnaissance role. With Poland clamoring to stem the tide of German invasion, it was a necessity for the P.23 to fight regardless. Armament was purely defensive in nature and numbered three machine guns. A single 7.92mm wz.33 type machine gun was held in a fixed nose position. Two other 7.92mm PWU wz.37 series (or sometimes Vickers F types) were in somewhat trainable gun positioned at rear - on in an underside gun position and the other in a World War 1 style open cockpit dorsal rear gun position. The pilot sat forward on the design with a glazed canopy. The undercarriage was fixed and the overall design was quite traditional in nature. Power from the single engine was derived from a British-designed Polish-produced Bristol Pegasus IIM2 9-cylinder radial piston engine of 670 horsepower (this was uprated to 720 horsepower in the P.23B models which sported the Bristol Pegasus VII).

In service, the P.23 took to the skies in defense of Poland. Though air superiority was far out of the question, the P.23 nonetheless took to the skies to reconnoiter and assess the perilous situation. It was also used to bomb targets in German held territories when possible, though losses most times were horrendous. Despite the limitations of the system, Polish air crews and pilots delivered ordnance and notched a few Luftwaffe kills themselves.

The P.23 was produced in limited numbers - numbering some 253 total examples - and did little to aid the efforts of a falling nation. About 20 or so fled to Romania before the inevitable fall of Poland to fight another day, this time against the might of Soviet aggression from the East.

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Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the PZL P.23 Karas. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 253 Units
Contractor(s): Panstwowe Zaklady Lotnicze (PZL) - Poland

[ Bulgaria; Poland; Romania ]

1 / 1

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Going Further...
The PZL P.23 Karas Reconnaissance / Light Bomber Aircraft appears in the following collections:

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