HA-200 Saeta
Hispano Aviación (CASA) · Spain · first flew 1955 · fighter
The HA-200 Saeta was Spain's first domestically designed jet aircraft, serving as an advanced trainer and light ground-attack type with the Spanish Air Force.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, swept |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Tandem two-seat jet trainer with engines buried in fuselage wing roots |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Tandem two-seat jet trainer with engines buried in fuselage wing roots
- Moderately swept low wing with a straight trailing edge
- Prominent glazed tandem cockpit canopy with individual hoods
Distinctively paired engine intakes located at the wing roots give a broad-shouldered appearance despite the slim fuselage. The tandem canopy is long and well-glazed with separate hoods. The moderately swept wing is clean with no external stores pylons on early marks. Conventional low tail unit. Comparable in size and shape to the Fouga Magister but with root intakes rather than tip-mounted engines.
Specifications
- The HA-200 Saeta has a length of 8.97 m (29 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 10.42 m (34 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 690 km/h (429 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Designed under the direction of Willy Messerschmitt, who had moved to Spain after World War II, the Saeta first flew in August 1955. It entered service with the Ejército del Aire in 1962 and provided Spain with a capable indigenous jet trainer at a time when many nations depended entirely on foreign types. Egypt also operated a developed variant, the HA-200B, which fed experience into the HA-300 fighter project.
Variants
HA-200A (initial version), HA-200B (export to Egypt), HA-200D (strengthened for light attack), HA-200E Saeta II (uprated engines).
Where you'll see it
Served the Spanish Air Force from 1962 until retirement in the 1980s; Egyptian Air Force operated export examples.
Related aircraft
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