Ikarus Orkan
Ikarus · Yugoslavia · first flew 1940 · bomber
The Ikarus Orkan was a three-seat twin-engine monoplane designed as a light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It was built at the Ikarus factory in Zemun, Belgrade.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | High-wing all-metal monoplane with a clean, streamlined fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Twin-engine monoplane with a radial engine and three-blade propeller in each wing nacelle
- High-wing all-metal monoplane with a clean, streamlined fuselage
- Main wheels retract into the engine nacelles behind the engines
A twin radial-engined high-wing monoplane with a three-man crew. It is not a single-engine fighter.
Specifications
- The Ikarus Orkan has a length of 10 m (33 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 13.25 m (43 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 545 km/h (339 mph).
- Typical crew: 3.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Two young designers, S. Momcilovic and D. Radojkovic, began it as a private project and finished most of the drawings by the end of 1937. The planned Hispano-Suiza engines could not be exported from France after war broke out, so 627 kW Fiat A.74 radials were fitted instead. The prototype made its first flight on 24 June 1940 and was damaged on landing.
Variants
Only the prototype was built. Serial production did not start before the German and Italian invasion of April 1941.
Where you'll see it
Flights resumed in March 1941, and 13 were made by 5 April. The Orkan met its design expectations, but the invasion ended the programme. The prototype was captured and sent to Germany for testing, and its fate is unknown.
Related aircraft
AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 8,606 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.