The YG/4 'Condor' - Defending Paran's northern coastine

**Spinners** · April 16

Parani Aviation Company YG/4 'Condor' - 10th Coastal Patrol Regiment, Parani Army Air Force, 1943

In early 1931 Shah Mushani of Paran announced a five year plan to strengthen his armed forces by expansion allied to an ambitious domestic arms production programme including the creation of an indigenous aviation industry. In June 1931, Shah Mushani announced the creation of the Parani Aviation Company and appointed the Russian engineer Nikolai Yergin as the chief designer of the Parani Aviation Company giving Yergin licence to recruit several other Russian engineers including Vladimir Gudkov from the OKB-301 design bureau. This partnership of Yergin and Gudkov was the foundation stone of the Parani Aviation Company and endured until the early 1960's.

Shah Mushani tasked Yergin and Gudkov with the design and production of no less than three aircraft projects of increasing complexity;

1. The YG/1 'Goshawk' a light attack biplane that could also serve as a trainer.

2. The YG/2 'Vulture' a monoplane tactical bomber.

3. The YG/3 'Storm' a monoplane single-seat fighter aircraft.

Even before the first flight of the YG/1 in February 1934 Nikolai Yergin had begun to sketch a small twin-engined light bomber as a follow-on project to the YG/1. Allocated the design number of YG/4, Yergin and Gudkov were determined to make their new light bomber as small as possible and with an emphasis on lightweight construction. This soon gained the support of Shah Mushani who agreed to fund the new aircraft providing that the design could also fulfil the additional role of maritime patrol along Paran's long northern coastline. Yergin and Gudkov readily accepted this additional requirement and made some slight revisions to their YG/4 including the adoption of the twin Alfa Romeo 128 RC.18 nine-cylinder radial engines rated at 950 hp each.

The development of the YG/4 moved slowly but only due to the small size of the Parani Aviation Company and the focus on bringing the three earlier designs into service. The first flight of the YG/4 took place on March 1st, 1940 and testing continued during 1940 and early 1941 before production commenced in August 1941 at the new Parani Aviation Company factory at Konara. Entering service as the YG/4 'Condor' in February 1942 with the 10th Coastal Patrol Regiment of the Parani Army Air Force the YG/4 was a slightly pedestrian aircraft but played an important part in patrolling Paran's northern coastline and was responsible for sinking 5,120 tons of Dhimari shipping and damaging another 4,454 tons before the 1946 ceasefire.