Aero A.304

The Aero A.304 was a Czechoslovakian bomber aircraft that first flew in 1937. It had originally been developed as an airliner, the A.204, but when Aero could not find buyers for the design, it was militarised and successfully marketed to the Czechoslovak Air Force. It was also exported to Bulgaria, where it was known as the "Pelikan".

A.304
Role Bomber
Manufacturer Aero Vodochody
First flight 1937
Primary users Czechoslovak Air Force
Germany, Bulgaria
Number built 19
Developed into Aero A.300

Operators
 Bulgaria
 Czechoslovakia
  • Czechoslovakian Air Force
 Germany
  • Luftwaffe – (War plunder from Czechoslovak Air Force)
 Slovakia

Specifications (A.304)
Aero A.304 3-view drawing from L'Aerophile February 1939

Data from War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Seven[1]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 3
  • Length: 13.21 m (43 ft 4 in)
  • Wingspan: 19.2 m (63 ft 0 in)
  • Height: 3.4 m (11 ft 2 in)
  • Wing area: 45.3 m2 (488 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 3,006 kg (6,627 lb)
  • Gross weight: 4,364 kg (9,621 lb)
  • Powerplant: 2 × Walter Super Castor IMR 9-cyl. air-cooled radial piston engine, 343 kW (460 hp) each

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 322 km/h (200 mph, 174 kn) at 1,750 m (5,741 ft)
  • Cruise speed: 290 km/h (180 mph, 160 kn)
  • Range: 1,199 km (745 mi, 647 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 5,800 m (19,000 ft)
  • Rate of climb: 6.75 m/s (1,329 ft/min)

Armament

  • Guns:
  • 1 × fixed forward-firing 7.92 mm ZB-30 machine gun
  • 1 × 7.92 mm vz30 machine gun in dorsal turret
  • 1 × 7.92 mm vs30 machine gun in rearward firing ventral position
  • Bombs: Up to 300 kg (660 lb) of bombs
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See also

Related development

Related lists

References
Notes
  1. Green 1967, p.45.
Bibliography
  • Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Seven Bombers and Reconnaissance Aircraft. London:Macdonald, 1967.
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