The Renard R.36

In 1936 the Belgian firm Renard began the study of a single-seater fighter in order to meet the specifications of the Belgian military aeronautics which sought a replacement at the Fairey Firefly Mk.IIM in service since 1931.

It was on 5 November 1937 in Evere (near Brussels) that the R-36 Renard made its first flight. The prototype presented itself as a monoplane cantilever built entirely in duralumin, except the back of the fuselage and the control surfaces that were covered. It was powered by a liquid-cooled Hispano-Suiza 12Ycrs type 21 developing 910 hp, giving it a maximum speed of 417 km / h at sea level and 505 km / h at 4000 m. The arming consisted of a 20mm gun mounted between the engine's cylinders and four 7.7mm wing guns. A parachute was installed at the end of the empennage to facilitate the exit of the spin if it would be too difficult to get out during the tests. But he never had to serve. The first tests showed that the R-36 had very good performance and even outperformed the MS-406.

During the year 1938, tests continued on the prototype of the R-36 second version, which was the original cell equipped with a Hamilton standard constant pitch propeller with variable pitch during the flight, instead of the three-piece Ratier With adjustable pitch on the floor. Another change was the change of the coolant, the glycol being replaced by the water while the air intake was moved a little behind and under the bonnet. Finally, the empennage was enlarged.

In November, the pilot of the Renard factory demonstrated before the foreign delegations of China and France, it would appear that a French pilot tried Renard's aircraft. A little later, during the month of October, Alfred Renard proposed to the French leaders an order of 100 R-36 at the unit price of 1.75 million francs announcing a delivery capacity of 20 units per month from the sixth. Nevertheless, the proposal remained unanswered.

Finally, when all the tests were finished and declared conclusive, the national defense finally decided to order 40 copies in order to re-equip the 2nd group of Nivelles. It was without counting the tragic accident which would lead to the loss of the prototype and its pilot, indeed, on January 17, 1939 and after 75 hours of testing the R-36 crashed level. After this accident the government canceled the order to finally buy Hurricanes Mk.I at Hawker, although less efficient than the Renard aircraft.

A rumor has it that the order of English fighters had already been passed before the loss of the R-36 and that this would be the good excuse to cancel the arrival of the fighter of Renard in the Belgian Military Aviation. This accusation was supported by the investigation report, which found only two possible causes: the first said that the depth control could have been blocked by the radio which would have fallen from its housing, while the second less Probable, implied a lack of aeration of the cockpit which would have inconvenienced the pilot. In any event, there was nothing to question the design of the aircraft itself, but unfortunately the R-36 had no future.

A few months earlier, Alfred Renard had undertaken the construction of other prototypes which gave quite different versions of the R-36 by their engines. The first, the R-37, was differentiated mainly by its engine Gnome and Rhone 4N21 of 1050 hp. It was never tested before the Germans captured the ground and it was a pilot of the Luftwaffe who unquestionably carried out the test flight, the R-37 missing during the war.

The R-38 also had as its only difference its engine which was Rolls-Royce Merlin II of 1050 hp also, it brilliantly fulfilled its first flight on August 4, 1938 and was presented to the Belgian authorities only the 18 of July of the following year . When Germany occupied Belgium this apparatus was sent to France from whence it was to join Morocco, it is thought that it was abandoned at Bordeaux. After the war, he was seen in Munich, but not claimed by Belgium, but was definitely lost.

The R-40 was designed for the French Air Ministry, also equipped with a Merlin II which was to be a high altitude fighter whose cabin was releasable. It had a cockpit quite different from the other versions and was reminiscent of the modern fighter then in service in the other air forces. The unfinished prototype was evacuated to France in spare parts during the debacle but never reached its destination.

Specification : 

Length: 8,54 m
Wingspan: 11.64 m
Height: 2.9 m
Wing area: 20 m²
Empty weight: 1,700 kg
Starting weight: 2,400 kg
Maximum speed: 515 km / h
Height of service: 12,000 m
Engine: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 12Ycrs with 910 hp

Armament: 1 x 20 mm motor canon, 4 x 7.7 mm browning gun

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