FFA P-16
| FFA P-16 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| FFA P-16 composite on display at the Flieger-Flab-Museum Dübendorf | |
| Role | Fighter |
| Manufacturer | FFA |
| Designer | Dr. Hans Studer |
| First flight | 25 April 1955 |
| Retired | Cancelled |
| Number built | 5 |
The FFA P-16 was a Swiss prototype ground attack jet fighter designed in the 1950s by Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke AG to replace the piston-engined types then in service with the Swiss Air Force. The project was terminated in favour of the British-built Hawker Hunter before it was introduced into service.
The FFA P-16 was Switzerland's second attempt to develop a domestically-designed and manufactured jet fighter, after the EFW N-20.
The P-16 was designed to be especially well-suited to the close-support role, and short-field performance was also emphasized. The resulting aircraft was a single-seat, single-engine design with intakes on the fuselage sides and a low wing. The horizontal stabilizer was mounted halfway up the fin. To ensure good performance from unprepared fields, heavy undercarriage and dual wheels and tires were fitted. The straight, low aspect ratio wing was of multi-spar construction with various high-lift devices including full-span Krueger flaps on the leading edge, large Fowler-type flaps on the inboard trailing edge, and ailerons which also operated as flaps. These devices allowed the aircraft to take off and land within 1,000 ft (330 m) at high altitude, allowing it to operate from the Alpine valleys characteristic of Switzerland.
Two prototypes were ordered in 1952, the first one flying on 25 April 1955. Although this aircraft (J-3001) was destroyed in a crash on 25 April having made 22 flights with a total flight time of 12 h 38 min, a development contract for four pre-production aircraft was awarded. On 15 August 1956, the second prototype exceeded the sound barrier for the first time. It completed another 310 flights by March 1958 after which it was scrapped.
The pre-production machines (designated Mk II) differed from the prototypes in a variety of ways, most importantly in using the more powerful Sapphire 7 engine in place of the prototype's Sapphire 6.
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