PZL.43

The PZL.43 was a Polish‑manufactured light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft developed in the late 1930s by Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze (PZL). It originated as an improved version of the earlier PZL.23 Karaś, incorporating a more powerful Gnome‑Rhone 14N radial engine that delivered 950 hp, which gave the aircraft a higher top speed of around 420 km/h and better climb performance. First flown in 1938, the PZL.43 entered limited production for the Romanian Air Force, which ordered 95 examples under the designation PZL.43A. The aircraft featured a mixed construction of metal and wood, a crew of two, and could carry up to 500 kg of bombs internally or on external racks. Its defensive armament consisted of a forward‑firing 7.7 mm machine gun and a rear‑facing 7.7 mm gun for the observer. Although only a few dozen were built before the outbreak of World War II, the PZL.43 demonstrated Polish aeronautical engineering capability and contributed to the modernization of Romania’s air fleet. The type also served as a technological bridge leading to the later PZL.46 Sum and underscored the strategic importance of indigenous engine‑airframe integration in pre‑war Europe.

PZL

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