EKW C-36

History

Discussions surrounding air combat in World War II (1939-1945) almost always exclude developments in Switzerland, largely because of its neutrality in the conflict. However, with Europe burning around the aviation industry, the aviation industry is not resting on its laurels. The federal agency EKW is ordered by the state to arm the Swiss army through local operations, rather than relying on foreign support where possible.

Under this trademark and in the context of the war spreading across its borders, the group caught up with some aircraft designs during the war.

One such product was the C-36, a low-slung monoplane attack platform commissioned by the Swiss Air Force in 1942, with 175 procured by the end of the year. The design grew out of a 1935 Swiss Air Force request for a new attack platform to replace the aging Fokker C.V-E biplane.

This led the service to go down various pathstrying to modernize an in-service Fokker, procuring a foreign design, or accepting an entirely new local design solutionthe C-36.

Decided to meet the requirements through local resources through indigenous design when the first two paths were nowhere to go. The design of the C-36 followed the traditional design layout of the time, which featured a single engine in the nose, two midship seats in tandem and a twin vertical tail arrangement. The first flight of the prototype (C-3601) was recorded on May 15, 1939.

This model has a fixed rear towing unit and is powered by an 860-horsepower Hispano-Suiza 12YVrs engine. The C-3601 eventually crashed during testing on August 20, 1939 (fault corrected for excessive "wing flapping").

This led to the development of a second prototype, the C-3602, which was converted to a 1,000 hp Hispano-Suiza 12 Y-51 engine with improved performance figures. The design evolved into the first production version, designated the C-3603, which carried the same powerplant.

The weapon is now part of the fighter's equipment, as a 20mm Oerlikon automatic cannon is mounted in the engine block and fired through the propeller hub. Accompanying this weapon was a pair of 7.5mm machine guns mounted on each wing of the main aircraft.

In addition, to protect the more vulnerable "hexagon" of the attack aircraft, the rear-facing crew was tasked with managing a trainable gun mount equipped with 2 x 7.5mm machine guns.

This form of construction resulted in the C-3603-0 for service testing. Ten have been completed, they differ by a span of 48.6 feet. Nine of these were later converted to the C-3603-1 standard.

The C-3603-1 had a wingspan of 45 feet and became the final production version of the C-36 family. A total of 142 aircraft were built to standard, with an additional 6 built in the post-war period (between 1947 and 1948) using available spare parts to increase the number available.

Over time, about 20 were demoted (and modified accordingly) as target tugs for training.

C-3603-1 Tr represents a pair of senior trainers. The C-3604 is powered by a 1,245 hp Saurer YS-2 engine for enhanced performance. In addition, 20mm automatic cannons (one per wing) were added to the wings to increase the attack power of the aircraft.

From the only completed prototype, twelve production-quality aircraft were born.

C-3605 became the last notable entry in the C-36 series. These are differentiated by the installation of Lycoming T53 turboprop engines, resulting in a more powerful, higher powered aircraft while achieving speeds of nearly 300 mph. 24 C-3603-1 airframes upgraded to the new standard.

The C-36 was never exported outside Switzerland, and the Swiss Air Force became the only global operator of the type. Although the C-36 did not see intense combat action in the war compared to its contemporaries, it was used as an effective airspace deterrent for neutral nations during the turbulent war years. Also, they get caught up in training circles before they can be used as targets.

The series was cancelled in 1988.

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