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Hispano HA-200
Saeta (Variants/Other Names: See History
below)
History: The twin-jet, straight wing
Saeta ("Arrow") was built by Hispano under the direct guidance of famed designer
Willy Messerschmitt. First flown on 12 August 1955, it was built as both a basic trainer (HA-200A
with two pilots in tandem) and as a light attack aircraft (HA-220,
pilot only, equipped with two underwing weapons pylons and two 7.62mm machine-guns).
Thirty "A"-models were delivered to the Spanish air force, which was anxious to
end reliance on foreign imports (principally the T-6 Texan) in the
early 1960’s. The Spanish Air Force designated the trainer the E.14
and the attack version the C.10. In 1965, Hispano installed the more powerful Marbore VI
engine and designated this variant the HA-200D. It was so
successful that they added armor, doubled the number of underbody hard points and fitted
Browning M3 machine guns, resulting in a specialized version called the HA-200E
Super Saeta. This plane saw active service in the Sahara in 1974-75. An
export version (HA-200B) was sold to Egypt on license. Though the last Saetas were retired from Spanish service in
the mid-1980s, several have been imported to the USA, and one or two are active on the
airshow circuit. Nicknames: "Casa" (Common
informal name in the warbird community); Al Kahira ("The Cairo,"
Egyptian name for the license-built HA-200B.) Specifications (HA-200E Super Saeta): Number Built: ~210. Number Still Airworthy: Approximately 15. Links:
All text and photos Copyright 2016 The
Doublestar Group, unless otherwise noted.
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