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Development of the prototype of the G-1 continued with the purpose to use it for the foreign market. Equally to the prototype it received the Pratt & Wittney Jr. SB4-G engines. These engines had a negative side effect on the plane. Compared to the one with the Bristol Mercury engine top speed was 40 km/hr lower though it had slightly bit more range.

 

Foreign interest was big after the great success on the Aviation Salon of Paris in 1936. A first group of 26 was already built for Spain, to be delivered via Estonia and France. After the mobilization these planes where bought for use by the Dutch air force. In November of the mobilization year, a search for armament started. In the end they received 4 M36 FN-Browning machineguns (7,9 mm) in the nose and one FN-Browning M-36 machine gun in the tail turret. Only four out of the ten delivered planes were be armed and used in the 5-day war. The remaining planes were captured and taken over by the Luftwaffe.

Orders had also been placed by Denmark and Sweden. Finland was interested. As you can read below, other countries were interested too.


 

Finland

Finland had a bond with Fokker that lasted already for several years. Finland had already bought the D-10 and C-5 D and E. Before the outbreak of the winter war the D-21 and C-10 were built under license in the Valtion Lentokonetehdas factorie and plans existed to produce the recently ordered, T-8L variant.

These bonds were responsible for a lot of confusion the last 70 years regarding the Finnish interest for the G-1. Finnish test pilots had logged quite some hours with the 302, which was especially given to their disposition. The results were glorifying, but an order was never placed. The reason it never came to an order was that the Finnish version had to be equipped with the Mercury (build under license) engine. But all these Mercury engines were to be mounted in the Blenheims and the D-21's. More Mercury engines were not available. Eventually even the D-21 got equipped with Twin Wasp engines. Also the Winter war against Russia was stopped before an order for G-1's could be placed.

The 25 (+ an adapted prototype) that where already build, were intended for Spain, and not for Finland.


 

Denmark

Denmark was the first to place an order for G-1 Mercury's with dive breaks that were supposed to be equipped with the Madsen armament that was also mounted in the Hispano Suiza prototype (2 x 20 mm cannons, 2 x 7,9 mm machineguns). The amount of money involved was Hfl 70.000 for a licence contract. That does not seem much, but in those days it was a lot of money.

The Flyvertropperne Vaerkstaeder near the airfield Kløvermarken, Kopenhagen, where they were supposed to be built. Both Flyvertropperne Vaerkstaeder and the airfield Kløvermarken don't exist anymore. A continuation order to build 24 planes under license by Skandinavik Aero Industri was also intended.

In the end Denmark were working on assembling one of them (one might ask why only one).

This means that a total of 63 G-1's were build!


 

Sweden

Swedish test pilots performed about 20 test flights with the G-1. They were very fond of the flight model and soon the Swedish government placed an order for a series of 18 planes (Mercury's, with extra "bathtubs"), without engines that were supposed to be delivered by a Swedish license program. It was not clear yet which engines were supposed to be used. These planes got the Swedish type number S-13 (S for Spaning, scouting). Also another order for 77 G-1 for the role of fighter bombers came in. They were to enter the Swedish air force as B-7. Also here no indication of the engine to be used. All G-1's had to be equipped with airbrakes.


 

Estonia

Estonia, who was modernizing its air force just like the Netherlands, was interested in a series of 6 planes. but this order was cancelled in favor of the British Blenheim. There was also a plan to ship the 26 Wasps for Spain through Estonia and France to Spain.

France

Fokker was visited in 1936 by a French delegation to discuss the development of the model 129, the later G-1. France was already busy with a number of comparable, but "difficult" projects. Difficult because the tests of the proposed engines (the by Fokker despised Hispano's) went disastrous. A solution was found in ordering the Dutch G-1. Negotiations came into a strained situation when a French delegation came by every week to monitor the progress.

When the development of the French planes started their interest disappeared. In the end they wanted 300 planes of the type Potez 63 and similar amounts of other planes.

Belgium

In June 1939 the 302 was leased for a week by Belgium to be thoroughly tested. At first Belgium had not much faith in the plane until the first day when Gerben Sonderman (Dutch testpilot) performed a spectacular aerobatics show. Belgium had presumed that a twin engined plane was not capable of making those manoeuvres. Despite that Belgium chose for a combination of Hawker Hurricanes and Fairey Battles instead of the G-1.


 

Turkey

The Turkish interest was short. Two test pilots where sent to Welschap to fly as passengers with Meinecke ( he was one of Fokker's testpilots). Despite the fact that on the first test flight one engine failed they praised the G-1. That was the end of the Turkish interest even after other engines were mounted (the WASP engines).

Hungary

The firm Manfred Weiss located in Budapest was not unknown to Fokker. Before the Second World War dozens of Fokkers were built under license (mostly C-5, D-13 and F-7 planes). Manfred Weiss had also obtained (which is not proved) a license right for the G-1 but no planes were built before the outbreak of the war. Later during the war Manfred Weiss has built BF-109's.

Switzerland

Switzerland was a loyal customer of Fokker too. Earlier large numbers of D-7's and C-5's were bought. Later - in smaller numbers - the D-13 en C-10 followed. Three Test pilots were sent to the Netherlands to test the G-1. Though the result were very promising no orders followed.