Aero A.32

The Aero A.32 was a biplane built in Czechoslovakia in the late 1920s for army co-operation duties including reconnaissance and tactical bombing.

[1] Like the A.11 before it, the A.32 provided Aero with an export customer in the Finnish Air Force, which purchased 16 aircraft in 1929 as the A.32IF and A.32GR (which spent most of their service lives as trainers).

Following the prototype tests and in cooperation with Výzkumný a zkušební letecký ústav [cz], Aero offered an improved version, of which 45 units (AP.32.35–AP.32.79) were produced in the years 1930–1931 based on orders from August 1930 and January 1931.

This consisted of strengthening the fuselage, reconstruction of the landing gear, installation of brakes and new bomb hangers.

In 1930, a formation of these combat and reconnaissance aircraft, led by the commander of the Czechoslovak Air Force, General Eng.

[4] The installation of a more powerful Walter Jupiter VI engine resulted in the APb.32 version, of which 35 units were produced until 1932 in two series (APb.32.80–APb.32.99 and APb.32.100–APb.32.114).

During service with the Czechoslovak Air Force, 43 AP.32/APb.32 were written off due to crashed, in which 11 pilots and nine observers died.

After the dissolution of the Czechoslovakia, five AP.32 and one APb.32 were inherited by the 3rd Aviation Regiment (replacement and 12th squadrons) in the Slovak Air Force.

[5] The AP.32 and APb.32 were two-seater single-engine strut biplanes with fixed aft landing gear and open crew compartments.

The armament consisted of two synchronized 7.92 mm vz.28 air cooled machine guns in the hull, with the observer operating a twin mount vz.

Aero Ap.32.42 used by the Czechoslovakian National Security Guard in 1938
Aero AP.32, skica (Letectví, september 1930)
Aero AP.32 (Letectví, září 1930)
Aero AP.32 (Letectví, september 1930)
Aero A.32 (GR Jupiter engine)
Letecké muzeum Kbely (167)