Avia S-199
The Avia S-199 is a propeller-driven Messerschmitt Bf 109G-based fighter aircraft built after World War II using the Bf 109G airframe and a Junkers Jumo 211F engine in place of the original and unavailable Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine. It is notable as the first fighter obtained by the Israeli Air Force, and used during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
| Avia S-199 | |
|---|---|
| Avia S-199 Sakeen at the Israeli Air Force Museum, Hatzerim, Israel | |
| Role | Fighter aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Avia |
| Designer | Messerschmitt |
| First flight | March 1947 |
| Retired | 1957 |
| Primary users | Czechoslovak Air Force Israeli Air Force |
| Produced | 1947–1949 |
| Number built | 603 |
| Developed from | Messerschmitt Bf 109 |
Constructed in Czechoslovakia, with parts and plans left over from Luftwaffe aircraft production, the aircraft had numerous problems and was generally unpopular with its pilots. Czechoslovak pilots nicknamed it Mezek ("Mule"), while in Israel, it was officially known as the Sakeen ("knife" in Hebrew). In practice, the aircraft was more often called Messerschmitt or Messer (which also means "knife", in German and Yiddish).