Hispano Aviación HA-1112 Buchón
Hispano Aviación · Spain · first flew 1954 · fighter
The Hispano Aviación HA-1112 Buchón (Pigeon) was a Spanish-built development of the Messerschmitt Bf 109G powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, combining a German airframe with a British powerplant. It served with the Spanish Air Force and became famous as a film aircraft standing in for the Bf 109 in many productions.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 9.12 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Messerschmitt Bf 109 airframe with Rolls-Royce Merlin engine
- Broad-chord cowling housing inline Merlin
- Spanish-built Bf 109 with deeper nose than original
Distinguished from the original Bf 109 by its broader, deeper nose cowling housing the Merlin's wider block, and by the six exhaust stacks each side compared to the DB engine's three-stack arrangement.
Specifications
- The Hispano Aviación HA-1112 Buchón has a length of 9.12 m (30 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 9.92 m (33 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 670 km/h (416 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Spain had been building Bf 109Gs under licence but lacked the correct Daimler-Benz engines, leading Hispano Aviación to fit Merlin engines sourced from Britain beginning in the early 1950s. The first Merlin-powered HA-1112 flew in 1954 and the type entered Spanish Air Force service, serving until 1965.
Variants
The HA-1109 used a Hispano-Suiza 12Z engine, the HA-1110 tried a Rolls-Royce Merlin 500, and the definitive HA-1112M1L Buchón used the Merlin 500-45; all were single-seat fighters derived from the Bf 109G.
Where you'll see it
The HA-1112 served exclusively with the Spanish Air Force (Ejército del Aire), and several survivors are now airworthy warbirds regularly appearing at airshows worldwide, frequently doubling as Bf 109s in films.
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- Hispano HA-1112 Buchón
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