markings, and still flying. It can be recognized by the exhaust pipes at the top of the nose, like the
Spitfire (tri-blade propeller retrofitted) In 1942, the Spanish government arranged a manufacturing
licence with
Messerschmitt to build the Bf 109 G-2, although the
DB 605A engines, propellers, instruments and weapons were to be supplied from Germany. This proved impossible as Germany was incapable of meeting its own needs, let alone Spain's, and only 25 airframes (without their tails) and less than half the necessary drawings were actually delivered. Consequently,
Hispano Aviación replaced the
DB 605A engine with the 1,300 hp
HS 89-12Z and the project was renamed
Bf 109 J by
Messerschmitt. The HS 89-12Z engine performed a successful flight in a Bf 109 E used as a flying testbed in Barcelona in 1944, and the first
HA-1109-J1L made its maiden flight on 2 March 1945 in
Seville, using a VDM propeller and lash-up engine mounting. The remaining 24 airframes were flown during 1947–9 with
Escher-Wyss props, but never became operational. In May 1951, a developed version, the
HA-1112-K1L, improved the
Hispano-Suiza, HS 17-12Z engine installation, and carried either one or two 12.7mm
Breda machine guns and
Pilatus eight-packs of 80mm rockets. Its three-bladed
de Havilland Hydromatic propeller earned it the nickname
Tripala ("three blades"). engine and
Rotol four bladed propeller, both purchased as surplus from the UK. This engine had a chin intake that altered the lines of the Bf 109's airframe. It was an improvised assembly of outdated components but this was appropriate for the intended purpose of controlling Spanish colonial territories in Africa, where more sophisticated technology was both unnecessary and unavailable in isolated Spain at the time. It carried two 20 mm Hispano-Suiza 404/408 cannons and two
Oerlikon or
Pilatus eight-packs of 80 mm rockets and remained in service until 27 December 1965.
In film Due to their longevity, Buchóns have appeared in several
war films masquerading as Bf 109s. In films such as
Battle of Britain (alongside
CASA 2.111 bombers, a Spanish-built version of the
Heinkel He 111),
Der Stern von Afrika,
Piece of Cake (TV series),
Memphis Belle,
Dunkirk and
The Tuskegee Airmen.
Buchons also played the Bf 109's opposition, the
Hawker Hurricane, in one scene in
Battle of Britain. ==Variants==