The MÁVAG Héja ("Hawk") was a Hungarian fighter aircraft based on the Italian Reggiane Re.2000. The 70 Reggiane Re2000s delivered from Italy were modified with Hungarian equipment and fitted with Hungarian-built Manfred Weiss WM K-14 engines. The Héja was re-designed for Hungarian manufacture as the Héja II and a further 203 were built by MÁVAG for the Magyar Királyi Honvéd Légierő (Royal Hungarian Air Force), which used them in operations against the Soviet Union alongside German units.
In December 1939 seventy Reggiane Re.2000 fighters, purchased from Italy, were delivered to the Magyar Királyi Állami Vas-, Acél- és Gépgyárak, ("Royal Hungarian State Iron, Steel and Machine Works"), where they were modified into MÁVAG Héja I ("Hawk I") fighters. The original Piaggio P.XI engines were replaced by the Hungarian-built Manfred Weiss WM K-14 driving Hamilton Standard three-bladed, constant-speed propellers. The WM K-14 was a licensed copy of the French Gnome-Rhône 14K engine that necessitated a 1-foot 3-inch lengthening of the fighters' forward fuselage to restore the center of gravity to a safe position. The Piaggio engine was itself also a copy of the Gnome-Rhône 14K, which was more reliable than the Italian engines.
However, the aircraft also suffered from a number of drawbacks. The Hungarian and Italian chemical industries were not able to produce enough good insulation material for wing tanks, thus early planes (Héja I. and all of Italian Re.2000) flown with continuously leaking fuel tanks and late models (Héja II.) had rows of small tanks in the wing, therefore manufacturing complexity and weight of the plane has been increased. Yaw stability was poor and the Héja's predisposition to sideslip was very dangerous at low altitude (it killed István Horthy), moreover the subsequent mass increase of Héja II. has worsened this issue.[1][2]
A decision was soon made to produce more Héja fighters under license in Hungary as the MÁVAG Héja II (Hawk II). The new Héja II was entirely Hungarian with locally produced airframes, engines and armament, which was changed to twin 12.7 mm (0.500 in) Gebauer Motorgeppuska 1940.Minta GKM motor-driven machine guns in the fuselage nose with 300 rpg.[3][4] The first MÁVAG Héja II took to the air on 30 October 1942 and MÁVAG built a further 203 Héja IIs for the Royal Hungarian Air Force, with the last aircraft completed on 1 August 1944.
Operational history
István Horthy with his Héja, 1942
The Kingdom of Hungary was allied to Nazi Germany during World War II, with at least one Hungarian squadron flying the MÁVAG Héja in combat on the Eastern Front. However, most Héjas operated inside Hungary in an air defense role or as a trainer.
On 20 August 1942, personal tragedy struck the Hungarian Regent Miklós Horthy, when 37-year-old István Horthy, Horthy's eldest son, Deputy Regent of Hungary and a Flight Lieutenant in the reserves, was killed while flying Heja V.421 of 1/1 Fighter Squadron Royal Hungarian Air Force near Ilovskoye.[5]
In 1943, 98 Héjas were produced and another 72 in 1944. They were regarded as no longer suitable for combat against modern Soviet fighters and should have served as fighter trainers only.[6] The Luftwaffe was reluctant to re-equip its Hungarian ally: the deliveries of aircraft went primarily to front-line formations and there was still danger of a Hungarian-Romanian conflict. Moreover, Hitler held an extremely bad opinion of the Hungarian aviators.[7] So, the Hungarian Air Force was forced to use the licence-built Reggiane.
The last offensive sortie of the Hejas took place on 2 April 1944, when 180 15th Air Force USAAF bombers, escorted by 170 fighters, bombed the Danube Aircraft Works in Budapest and other targets. The Fighter Control Centre dispatched one wing of Hejas from 1/1 Fighter squadron, along with a couple of Messerschmitt Me 210Cas and 12 Bf 109Gs. The Honvéd pilots claimed 11 American aircraft (six of them confirmed). USAAF pilots reported to have shot down 27 Hungarian aircraft, while only two Hungarians were killed.[8]
^Elfnet. "MÁVAG Héjja – Elfnet.hu". www.elfnet.hu. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^Kovács, Béla (2017). "A MÁVAG Héja vadászrepülőgép konstrukciós előzményei és korszerűsítésének lehetőségei az olasz Reggiane vadász-program tükrében, I. rész". Haditechnika. 52/6: 53–57.
^ abWilliams, Anthony G.; Gustin, Emmanuel (2008). Flying guns: the development of aircraft guns, ammunition, and installations, 1933–45. Ramsey: Airlife : The Crowood Press. pp. 16, 18–19, 81–82. ISBN9781840372274.
^Green, William; Swanborough, Gordon (1994). The Complete Book of Fighters. London: Salamander. p. 44. ISBN1-85833-777-1.
^Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
Further reading
Wikimedia Commons has media related to MÁVAG Héja.
Neulen, Hans Werner (2000). In the skies of Europe: Air Forces Allied to the Luftwaffe, 1939-1945. Ramsbury, UK: Crowood. ISBN1-86126-799-1.
February 21, 2023
mÁvag, héja, hawk, hungarian, fighter, aircraft, based, italian, reggiane, 2000, reggiane, re2000s, delivered, from, italy, were, modified, with, hungarian, equipment, fitted, with, hungarian, built, manfred, weiss, engines, héja, designed, hungarian, manufact. The MAVAG Heja Hawk was a Hungarian fighter aircraft based on the Italian Reggiane Re 2000 The 70 Reggiane Re2000s delivered from Italy were modified with Hungarian equipment and fitted with Hungarian built Manfred Weiss WM K 14 engines The Heja was re designed for Hungarian manufacture as the Heja II and a further 203 were built by MAVAG for the Magyar Kiralyi Honved Legiero Royal Hungarian Air Force which used them in operations against the Soviet Union alongside German units HejaA MAVAG Heja IIRole FighterNational origin HungaryManufacturer MAVAGFirst flight 1940Introduction 1941Retired 1945Status RetiredPrimary user Royal Hungarian Air ForceNumber built 204Developed from Reggiane Re 2000 Contents 1 Design and development 2 Operational history 3 Operators 4 Specifications Heja II 5 See also 6 References 7 Further readingDesign and development EditIn December 1939 seventy Reggiane Re 2000 fighters purchased from Italy were delivered to the Magyar Kiralyi Allami Vas Acel es Gepgyarak Royal Hungarian State Iron Steel and Machine Works where they were modified into MAVAG Heja I Hawk I fighters The original Piaggio P XI engines were replaced by the Hungarian built Manfred Weiss WM K 14 driving Hamilton Standard three bladed constant speed propellers The WM K 14 was a licensed copy of the French Gnome Rhone 14K engine that necessitated a 1 foot 3 inch lengthening of the fighters forward fuselage to restore the center of gravity to a safe position The Piaggio engine was itself also a copy of the Gnome Rhone 14K which was more reliable than the Italian engines However the aircraft also suffered from a number of drawbacks The Hungarian and Italian chemical industries were not able to produce enough good insulation material for wing tanks thus early planes Heja I and all of Italian Re 2000 flown with continuously leaking fuel tanks and late models Heja II had rows of small tanks in the wing therefore manufacturing complexity and weight of the plane has been increased Yaw stability was poor and the Heja s predisposition to sideslip was very dangerous at low altitude it killed Istvan Horthy moreover the subsequent mass increase of Heja II has worsened this issue 1 2 A decision was soon made to produce more Heja fighters under license in Hungary as the MAVAG Heja II Hawk II The new Heja II was entirely Hungarian with locally produced airframes engines and armament which was changed to twin 12 7 mm 0 500 in Gebauer Motorgeppuska 1940 Minta GKM motor driven machine guns in the fuselage nose with 300 rpg 3 4 The first MAVAG Heja II took to the air on 30 October 1942 and MAVAG built a further 203 Heja IIs for the Royal Hungarian Air Force with the last aircraft completed on 1 August 1944 Operational history Edit Istvan Horthy with his Heja 1942 The Kingdom of Hungary was allied to Nazi Germany during World War II with at least one Hungarian squadron flying the MAVAG Heja in combat on the Eastern Front However most Hejas operated inside Hungary in an air defense role or as a trainer On 20 August 1942 personal tragedy struck the Hungarian Regent Miklos Horthy when 37 year old Istvan Horthy Horthy s eldest son Deputy Regent of Hungary and a Flight Lieutenant in the reserves was killed while flying Heja V 421 of 1 1 Fighter Squadron Royal Hungarian Air Force near Ilovskoye 5 In 1943 98 Hejas were produced and another 72 in 1944 They were regarded as no longer suitable for combat against modern Soviet fighters and should have served as fighter trainers only 6 The Luftwaffe was reluctant to re equip its Hungarian ally the deliveries of aircraft went primarily to front line formations and there was still danger of a Hungarian Romanian conflict Moreover Hitler held an extremely bad opinion of the Hungarian aviators 7 So the Hungarian Air Force was forced to use the licence built Reggiane The last offensive sortie of the Hejas took place on 2 April 1944 when 180 15th Air Force USAAF bombers escorted by 170 fighters bombed the Danube Aircraft Works in Budapest and other targets The Fighter Control Centre dispatched one wing of Hejas from 1 1 Fighter squadron along with a couple of Messerschmitt Me 210Cas and 12 Bf 109Gs The Honved pilots claimed 11 American aircraft six of them confirmed USAAF pilots reported to have shot down 27 Hungarian aircraft while only two Hungarians were killed 8 Operators Edit Kingdom of HungaryRoyal Hungarian Air Force 2 Vadaszszazad based at Szolnok Szazad Heja 1 2 Szazad Keresztes pok 2 1 Szazad Keresztes pok 1 1 Vadaszszazad 2 1 Vadaszszazad 1 1 Szazad Dongo Onallo Vadasz Osztaly OVO Specifications Heja II Edit Drawings of Heja II Data from The Complete Book of Fighters 9 General characteristicsCrew 1 Length 8 39 m 27 ft 6 in Wingspan 11 m 36 ft 1 in Height 3 1 m 10 ft 2 in Airfoil N 38 10 Empty weight 2 070 kg 4 564 lb Gross weight 2 520 kg 5 556 lb Powerplant 1 Manfred Weiss WM K 14 14 cyinder air cooled radial piston engine 694 kW 931 hp Gnome Rhone 14Kfrs Mistral Major Propellers 3 bladed constant speed propellerPerformance Maximum speed 540 km h 340 mph 290 kn at 4 300 m 14 108 ft Range 900 km 560 mi 490 nmi Endurance 2 hours 30 minutes Service ceiling 8 138 m 26 699 ft Armament Guns 2 fixed forward firing 12 7 mm 0 500 in Gebauer Motorgeppuska 1940 Minta GKM motor driven machine guns in the fuselage nose 3 4 See also EditWeiss Manfred WM 23 Ezust NyilAircraft of comparable role configuration and era Avia B 135 Bloch MB 152 CAC Boomerang Curtiss P 36 Hawk Fiat G 50 Hawker Hurricane Heinkel He 112 IAR 80 Macchi MC 200 Messerschmitt Bf 109 Mitsubishi A6M Zero Nakajima Ki 43 Reggiane Re 2000 Rogozarski IK 3 Seversky P 35Related lists List of aircraft of World War II List of fighter aircraftReferences Edit Elfnet MAVAG Hejja Elfnet hu www elfnet hu Retrieved 1 August 2018 Kovacs Bela 2017 A MAVAG Heja vadaszrepulogep konstrukcios elozmenyei es korszerusitesenek lehetosegei az olasz Reggiane vadasz program tukreben I resz Haditechnika 52 6 53 57 a b Williams Anthony G Gustin Emmanuel 2008 Flying guns the development of aircraft guns ammunition and installations 1933 45 Ramsey Airlife The Crowood Press pp 16 18 19 81 82 ISBN 9781840372274 a b Hungarian Weapons Gebauer Machine Guns Hungary 1918 45 www hungariae com Retrieved 25 December 2019 Milestones Time Neulen 2000 p 130 Neulen 2000 pp 130 131 Neulen 2000 p 136 Green William Swanborough Gordon 1994 The Complete Book of Fighters London Salamander p 44 ISBN 1 85833 777 1 Lednicer David The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage m selig ae illinois edu Retrieved 16 April 2019 Further reading Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to MAVAG Heja Neulen Hans Werner 2000 In the skies of Europe Air Forces Allied to the Luftwaffe 1939 1945 Ramsbury UK Crowood ISBN 1 86126 799 1 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title MAVAG Heja amp oldid 1135506574, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
