Malmö MFI-9
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| MFI-9 Junior | |
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| Type | Primary trainer |
| Manufacturers | Malmö Flygindustri, Bölkow (under licence) |
| Designed by | Björn Andreason |
| Maiden flight | 10 October 1958 |
| Introduced | 9 August 1962 |
| Developed from | Andreasson BA-7 |
| Variants | Saab Safari |
The Malmö MFI-9 Junior was a light aircraft produced in Sweden in the 1960s. It was designed by Björn Andreason as the BA-7 and flown by him in prototype form on 10 October 1958. He built this first plane in his spare time while working for Convair in the United States. It was powered by an air-cooled Continental A-75 engine giving 56 kW (75 HP) driving a two-bladed variable-pitch propeller.
In 1960 Andreason returned to Sweden and started working at Malmö Flygindustri where he designed an improved version of the BA-7 that went into production as the MFI-9 Junior. Changes included a larger cockpit and the powerplant was now a Continental O-200-A flat-four cylinder air-cooled piston engine giving 75 kW (100 HP). In 1963 it was followed by the MFI-9B Trainer and then the MFI-9B Mil-Trainer.
The MFI-9 uses a tricycle undercarriage.
[edit] MiniCOINs
One variant of the MFI-9 which gained widespread fame was the MiniCOIN (an acronym for "Miniature Counter-Insurrection"), a modification of the MFI-9B military trainer variant of the MFI-9, adapted to carry weapons; a flight of them were flown on the Biafran side in the Nigerian Civil War.
The flight (and name) originated with Carl Gustaf von Rosen, who realized that in a low intensity conflict even a few small, minimally-armed aircraft are capable of having a significant impact. Light aircraft are in any event more suitable for operation in the primitive conditions typical in such conflicts.
Von Rosen was familiar with the military trainer version of the MFI-9, which was robust enough to be able to carry significant loads of ordnance suspended from hard points on the wings. A number of MFI-9Bs had been constructed in hopes of a sale to the Swedish Air Force, but when the sale fell through, the aircraft became available at a low price. After conversion, they saw extensive service during most of the war.
[edit] Variants
- MFI-9 - Two-seat primary trainer aircraft. 25 built.
- MFI-9B Trainer - Two-seat sports, primary trainer aircraft. 43 built.
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- Biafra Baby - Five MFI-9Bs armed with six French SNEB 68 mm (2.68") unguided folding-fin rockets with armor-piercing warheads under each wing.
- MFI-9B Mil-Trainer - Two-seat primary trainer, light-attack aircraft. Two prototypes were built for the Swedish Air Force.
[edit] Operators
Biafra - Used by the Biafran Air Force during the Biafran War.
Sweden - Two MFI-9B Mil-Trainers for the Swedish Air Force.
[edit] Specifications (variant)
[edit] References
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 192.
- Simpson, R. W. (1995). Airlife's General Aviation. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing, 85.
- 'Fleas versus Falcons over Biafra' (retrieved February 23, 2008)
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
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