Koolhoven F.K.58

Fighter / Interceptor Aircraft

Netherlands | 1940

"Only thirteen or so complete examples of the Dutch Koolhoven F.K.58 fighter were available for May-June 1940."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/06/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Prior to its conquer at the hands of Nazi Germany, the Netherlands held a viable, standalone aero-industry led by names like Fokker and Koolhoven. While there proved no single stand-out design when compared to larger players of the interwar years, some impressive models emerged such as the Fokker D.XXI fighter and G.I "Reaper" heavy fighter. Koolhoven contributed with the F.K.56 trainer, the F.K.55 fighter prototype and the F.K.58 production fighter.

For the latter, design was led by Erich Schatzki and the aircraft was originally intended to serve over both Dutch and French colonial holdings where it would have made for an excellent security measure. The French Air Force adopted it as a fighter / interceptor to help shore up its own strained aero-industry. Since economy was the call of the day, the platform was to have good performance qualities against contemporaries but also be relatively inexpensive and easy to build in number. Schatzki had already put his design talents to use in the Fokker D.XXI (detailed elsewhere on this site) so the F.K.58 served as something of an extension of that work. A first flight, through prototype Model 1166, was held on July 17th, 1938 though only twenty went on to be completed as the Dutch fell in the early going against Germany.

Outwardly, the F.K.58 was of an all-modern fighter - metal understructures, an enclosed cockpit and retractable undercarriage were some of its features. Dimensions included a length of 28.7 feet, a wingspan of 36 feet and a height of 9.9 feet. Empty weight was 4,255 pounds against a loaded weight of 6,065 pounds. Standard, fixed armament ended as 4 x 7.5mm FN-Browning machine guns fitted under each wing mainplane (two guns per wing).

The prototype arrived with a Hispano-Suiza 14AA engine of 1,080 horsepower and two aircraft were built to this standard. A Bristol "Taurus" engine was to be substituted in the FK-58 model intended for Dutch Air Force service but none were produced due to the deteriorating war situation. The initial production order encompassed the F.K.58 model standard with the 14AA engines in place but manufacture only yielded seven examples. These were then followed by the F.K.58A powered by the Gnome-Rhone 14N-16 series engine of 1,030 horsepower output and eleven were built before the end.

With the 14N-16 radials in place, the airframe could manage a maximum speed of 315 miles per hour and cruise at about 280 miles per hour. Range was out to 465 miles and a service ceiling of 32,810 feet was reported. Rate-of-climb was 1,130 feet per minute.

The French ordered a batch of fifty fighters in January of 1939 to be completed with French instrumentation and engines. However, shortages of both of these components led to only seventeen being built to include those parts - the rest arriving with original Dutch equipment (this was later rectified). By the end of 1939, the Dutch government placed their own first-batch order and this numbered an optimistic thirty-six aircraft with Bristol Taurus engines but the lack of these British powerplants led to a switch to the Bristol "Mercury VIII" series instead.

During may 1940 just thirteen of the line were available and these were piloted by Polish airmen during the desperate defense of the Low Countries and France. As the situation grew worse, the fighters were relegated purely as air defenders to help contain the fighting below. Comparatively the fighter was wholly outclassed by the German types it was to face - slower and inadequately armed. Even if available in the numbers required, the line was to make little difference in the outcome of the conquer of Western Europe. F.K.58 pilots flew fewer than fifty missions during World War 2 and managed no air kills against a single lost F.K.58 (it reportedly never tangled directly with an enemy in the air). All F.K.58 fighters were destroyed after the Fall of France.

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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 Koolhoven F.K.58 Fighter / Interceptor Aircraft.

1 x Gnome-Rhone 14N-16 radial piston engine developing 1,030 horsepower and driving a three-bladed propeller unit at the nose.
Propulsion

314 mph
505 kph | 273 kts
Max Speed

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

466 miles
750 km | 405 nm
Operational Range

1,130 ft/min
344 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Koolhoven F.K.58 Fighter / Interceptor Aircraft.

1
(MANNED)
Crew

28.5 ft
8.70 m
O/A Length

36.1 ft
(11.00 m)
O/A Width

9.8 ft
(3.00 m)
O/A Height

4,255 lb
(1,930 kg)
Empty Weight

6,063 lb
(2,750 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Koolhoven F.K.58 Fighter / Interceptor Aircraft .

4 x 7.5mm FN-Browning machine guns in fairings held under the wings (two guns per wing).

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Koolhoven F.K.58 family line.

F.K.58 (Prototype) - Prototype model; fitted with Hispano-Suiza 14AA radial engine of 1,080 horsepower; 2 examples produced.

FK-58 (Bristol Taurus) - Proposed Dutch production version; to be Fitted with Bristol Taurus engine; never produced.

F.K.58 - Initial Production Model; fitted with Hispano-Suiza 14AA radial engine; 7 examples produced.

F.K.58A - Second Batch Production; fitted with Gnome-Rhone 14N-16 series radial engine of 1,030 horsepower; 11 examples produced.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Koolhoven F.K.58. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 20 Units
Contractor(s): Koolhoven - Netherlands

[ France; Poland ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 400mph

Lo: 200mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (314mph).

Graph Average of 300 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

20

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

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Aviation Timeline

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WWII

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Modern

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Image from the Public Domain.

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT

INTERCEPTION

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Going Further...
The Koolhoven F.K.58 Fighter / Interceptor Aircraft appears in the following collections:

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