The PZL.38 ''Wilk'' (''wolf'') (PZL-38) was a Polish

heavy fighter A heavy fighter is a historic category of fighter aircraft produced in the 1930s and 1940s, designed to carry heavier weapons, and/or operate at longer ranges than light fighter aircraft. To achieve performance, most heavy fighters were twin-eng ...

developed and manufactured by PZL state factory in 1937. Intended for use primarily as a

fighter-bomber A fighter-bomber is a fighter aircraft that has been modified, or used primarily, as a light bomber or attack aircraft. It differs from bomber and attack aircraft primarily in its origins, as a fighter that has been adapted into other roles, ...

, the Polish Air Force also envisioned it replacing

light fighter A light fighter or lightweight fighter is a fighter aircraft towards the low end of the practical range of weight, cost, and complexity over which fighters are fielded. The light or lightweight fighter retains carefully selected competitive feat ...

s in long-range operations, along with being able to serve as a

light bomber A light bomber is a relatively small and fast type of military bomber aircraft that was primarily employed before the 1950s. Such aircraft would typically not carry more than one ton of ordnance. The earliest light bombers were intended to dro ...

. Only two examples were built before the project was cancelled in favor of a planned improved variant, the PZL.48 Lampart (itself never built owing to the outbreak of WWII).

Design and development

In 1934 the

Polish Air Force The Polish Air Force ( pl, Siły Powietrzne, , Air Forces) is the aerial warfare branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as ''Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej'' (). In 2014 it consisted of roughly 16,425 mi ...

ordered a new multi-role heavy

. It was initially slated to replace fighters in both pursuit and escort duties, and light bombers, along with attack aircraft. The idea of a long-range, twin-engined, relatively heavily-armed, multi-role

strategic fighter A strategic fighter is a fast, well-armed and long-range fighter aircraft, capable of fulfilling roles such as that of an escort fighter protecting bombers, a penetration fighter carrying out offensive sorties of its own far into enemy territ ...

was a popular concept among many air forces during the late Interwar Period, and would lead to many

designs. Poland was not immune to this line of thought, and in an internal PZL competition a design of engineer

Franciszek Misztal Franciszek Misztal (15 March 1901, in a village Lisie Jamy near Lubaczów – 9 June 1981, in Warsaw) - Polish aircraft designer. He studied at Lviv Polytechnic and received his doctorate in 1929 at the Technical University in Aachen. From 1 ...

won and was given the designation PZL.38 Wilk. Its construction used the diminished aerodynamic profile and configuration from the

PZL.37 Łoś The PZL.37 ''Łoś'' (''moose'') was a Polish twin-engined medium bomber designed and manufactured by national aircraft company PZL. It is also known as "PZL P-37" or "PZL P.37", but the letter "P" was generally reserved for fighters of Zygmunt Pu� ...

medium bomber. The powerplant was to be the 490-hp PZL Foka (''Seal'') light-weight V-engine, designed by Stanisław Nowkuński of Polish Skoda Works (then PZL WS-1). Unfortunately, Nowkuński died in the Tatry mountains on 30 July 1936, and work on the engine slowed. Due to technical problems, overheating and vibration, it was decided to use a foreign engine. In 1937 two prototypes of PZL.38 were built. The second one (PZl.38/II) received the American Ranger SGV-770B engines (420-450 hp), which were less powerful than the PZL "Foka" engine. As a result, the prototype didn't meet expected performance. The second prototype flew first in April or May 1936. The first prototype PZl.38/I, received the PZL Foka engine. The airplane was shown in 1938 at the

Paris Air Show The Paris Air Show (french: Salon international de l'aéronautique et de l'espace de Paris-Le Bourget, Salon du Bourget) is a trade fair and air show held in odd years at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in north Paris, France. Organized by the Frenc ...

. It was flown only in February or March 1939 and also did not meet expected performance (estimated maximum speed was 520 km/h, while it hardly reached 465 km/h). It was also too heavy (2155 kg instead of 1715 kg) and had too small useful load. Because of these facts, further development of PZL.38 "Wilk" aircraft and "Foka" engine was abandoned in the Spring of 1939, in a favour of the new construction PZL.48 "Lampart" - which was a modification of "Wilk" with radial engines.

Description

It was a twin-engine low-wing cantilever

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

of metal construction, metal covered. The fuselage was semi-

monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...

, elliptic in cross-section. The crew of two - pilot and rear gunner/bombardier/observer sat under separate canopies, far from each other, fitted with dual controls. A canopy of pilot's cockpit opened aside. Three part wing, outer parts were built around light closed profiles. Wings fitted with slats and split flaps. Twin vertical stabilizers. Engines in underwing nacelles. Retractable

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Mart ...

, with main wheels retracting into engine nacelles, and a rear skid. Three-blade variable (P.38/I) or two-blade fixed propellers (PZL.38/II). Fuel tanks in wings - 500 L. Armament: fixed 20 mm FK-A gun (planned) and two 7.92 mm PWU wz.36 machine guns in the fuselage nose, twin 7.92 mm PWU wz.37 machine gun of a rear gunner, hiding in the fuselage. It could carry one 300-kg bomb.

Operational history

At the time of the German

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week af ...

, both prototypes were still not able to fly and remained in the factory at

Okęcie Okęcie () is the largest neighbourhood of the Włochy district of Warsaw, Poland. It is the location of Warsaw Chopin Airport and the PZL Warszawa-Okęcie aircraft works, and home to the Okęcie Warszawa professional association football clu ...

in Warsaw. They were captured by the Germans in a damaged state, their further fate is not known.

Specifications

References

* Cynk, Jerzy B. ''Polish Aircraft 1893–1939''. London: Putnam, 1971. . * Glass, Andrzej. ''Polskie Konstrukcje Lotnicze 1893-1939 (Polish aviation constructions 1893-1939)''. Warsawa, Poland: WKiŁ, 1977. (Polish language, no ISBN) * Glass, Andrzej. ''PZL 38 Wilk''. Warsawa, Poland: Wydawnictwo Militaria, 1995. . (Polish language)

External links