Rogožarski IK-3

The Rogožarski IK‑3 was a single‑seat, low‑wing monoplane fighter produced in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Zemun‑based factory Rogožarski in the mid‑1930s. Designed by chief engineer Ljubomir Ilić and his team, the aircraft made its first flight on 20 May 1936 and entered service the following year. Powered by a 750 hp Hispano‑Suiza 12Ycrs liquid‑cooled V‑12 engine, the IK‑3 could reach 540 km/h (336 mph) at altitude and featured a sleek, all‑metal fuselage with retractable landing gear – a rarity among its regional contemporaries. Its armament consisted of two 20 mm Hispano‑Shiki cannons mounted in the nose and two 7.92 mm machine guns in the wing, giving it a potent punch against both aircraft and ground targets. Only twelve production examples were completed before the German‑Italian invasion of April 1941, but they saw combat alongside Yugoslav, British and Greek pilots, achieving several notable victories against Axis aircraft. Although its operational history was brief, the IK‑3 demonstrated that Yugoslav engineers could create a modern, high‑performance fighter, influencing post‑war aircraft development and remaining a source of national pride in Serbian aviation heritage. Today, a replica is displayed at the Museum of Aviation in Belgrade, reminding visitors of the nation's engineering achievement.

Rogožarski

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