Junkers A 35
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1895 in Germany |
| Founder | Hugo Junkers |
| Headquarters | Dessau , Germany |
| Products | Aircraft |
Junkers A 35 was a two-seat cantilever monoplane utilized for training, postal service, and military roles. Developed in the 1920s by Junkers in Germany, production took place at Dessau and at AB Flygindustri in Limhamn, Sweden, with certain conversions from A 20 models carried out in Fili, Russia.
Design and development
The A 35 was derived from a lineage of Junkers aircraft beginning with the J10/J11 series, followed by the A 20, A 25, and A 32 models. Originally conceived as a two-seat versatile fighter, its maiden flight occurred in 1926. Due to post-war limitations, Hugo Junkers collaborated with the Soviet Government to create an aircraft manufacturing facility at Fili in 1922.
In 1926, the installation of Junkers L5 engines on A 20 airframes, combined with tail redesigns, resulted in the A 35 variant. Initially, twenty-four units of the A 35 were produced, along with modified A 20s and A 25s equipped with L5 powerplants. Additionally, an option featuring a BMW IV engine was available for the A 35.
Versions
- Junkers A 20
- Produced at Limhamn under the designation R02 and at Fili as Ju 20
- Junkers A 20L
- Version designed for land operations
- Junkers A 20W
- Seaplane variant equipped with floats
- Junkers A 25
- Built in Limhamn labeled R41 and in Fili known as Type A
- Junkers A 35
- Militarized model manufactured in Limhamn as K53/R53 and at Fili called Type 20
Introduced in 1926, the Junkers R53 represented a militarized adaptation of the A35, powered by the Junkers L5 engine and featuring a rear cockpit machine gun installed by AB Flygindustri at Limhamn. To bypass Treaty of Versailles constraints, many R53 units originated from conversions of civil A35 or A20 aircraft produced in Dessau. Modified A20s were supplied to Turkey, while further deliveries included twenty units to Russia and twenty-one militarized R53s to China.
Operators
- Twenty-one K53 aircraft were acquired by Chinese warlords—ten to Zhang Zongchang of Shandong, nine to Zhang Xueliang of Manchuria, and one each to Yan Xishan of Shanxi and Liu Xiang of Sichuan.
- Finnish Air Force – One unit underwent testing over a three-week period in 1928.
- Soviet Air Force – Operated twenty Ju-20 (militarized A 20) aircraft
- Turkish Air Force – Sixty-four A20 aircraft delivered. In collaboration with Junkers, the Turkish Government established a manufacturing plant at Kayseri named TOMTAŞ, where existing A20s were upgraded to militarized A35 versions equipped with machine guns and bomb racks.
See also
Bibliography
- Andersson, Lennart. "Chinese 'Junks': Junkers Aircraft Exports to China 1925-1940". Air Enthusiast, No. 55, Autumn 1994, pp. 2–7.
- Andersson, Lennart. "Junker's Two-seaters, Part One". Air Enthusiast, 1991, Issue 44, pp. 70–77.
- Andersson, Lennart. "Histoire de l'aéronautique persane, 1921–1941: La première aviation du Chah d'Iran". Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire, July 1998, Issue 76, pp. 2–12.