Nice detective work Jagdtiger, I read Snake's comment the wrong way round so didn't look at Polikarpov , as the man had a preference for radial engines he would probably not have been my guess anyway. This is fun, I'm certainly learning a lot about aviation history I hadn't suspected before. Keep them comming !!!
Yes indeed JagdtigerI ... very nice detective work. That one really tested the knowledge ... over to you ...
Weren't those the Gliders Hitler planned to use during Sea Lion but couldn't because he didn't have aircraft big enough to tow them? And wasn't then when he combined 2 He-111 (I think), removed one of the plane's engines, and combined them for a tri-plane?
That was the Me 321 Gigant a much larger plane, and the He111Z acually had 5 engines, four from the original He 111 and a fitth in the wing section that tied together the two fuselages without removing the original two. Heinkel He 111Z - glider towing aircraft Messerschmitt Me 321 - transport glider
Sorry to keep you guys hanging on ... been a bit too busy to look for another 'good one' to throw at y'all ... feel free to jump in ... if not, I'll try and find one later this evening.
Not giving us much to go on with this one Jag ... ... There is some kind of emblem/insignia on the rudder, but I can't make it out ... Hmmmmm!!
A5M Japanese fighter. The predecessor to the A6M "Zero" or "Zeke". Epic win. A5M Type 96 carrier-based fighter. The first Japanese aircraft designed for carrier duties. Also known as the "Claude" Allied naval code.
My initial feeling was similar to MastahCheef's, in that is was Japanese ... the long-chord cowling resembled a Mitsubishi or a Nate. But, it was the position of the tail-fin that drew me toward a Russian design ... So, I'm going for a "Grigorovich IP-4."
Right again, it is the Grigorocich IP-4, a smaller version of the IP-1, only one built. Back to you...
Think you got it Grigorovich IP-4 (DG-53) - fighter My guess was soviet as the cowling arrangement is practically identical to an I-16 but the position of the tail elevators had me baffled, the only other ww2 plane that I can think of with that configuration is the Me 262 !! 4x45mm looks a lot of firepower, AFAIK the only soviet 45mm aircraft gun that saw service was the NS-45 that fired a powerful cartridge and a shell derived from the one of the standard AT gun, putting four of the things in a small single engined plane looks a bit of an overkill, the recoil would be something fierce!!!. EDIT: Found reference to the gun, the experimental 45 mm Kurchevski APK-11 recoilless makes more sense than the later NS-45, apparently the IP-4 was designed around it. The need to keep the elevators away from the backblast of the guns could also explain the unusual configuration.
Confusing all round T/O/S ... the cowling actually had me leaning towards Japanese along with MastahCheef ... then, after closer scrutiny the tail elevators steered me in the direction of Soviet (I was still searching when Jag posted the clue) reminded me of the Tupolev ... Tupolev ANT-31 (I-14) - fighter Anyway ... it would seem the 'cat is out the bag' where "aviastar.org" is concerned although not 100% complete, it's still an invaluable source of aircraft images !! (But not the only one ) I'll have to extend my library of "USAF WWII Bombers" & "RAF WWII Bombers" and make better use of my scanner ... Will try and post a "Doozie" for y'all tomorrow.
hmmm...could you possibly tell us the country of origin? I would guess it is czech from the design on the tail?
I'm guessing mid-late 20's. Maybe a French plane leased to them? France made some crazy early planes.