Doflug D-3801 Swiss Fighter

Plastic model kit for building a Swiss Doflug D-3801 fighter aircraft

• Scale 1:72
• 2 marking options:
• 1. D-3801 (No. J-132), F1. Kp. 13, Switzerland, September 1944
• 2. D-3801 (No. J-177), Comp. Av. 3, Sion Airfield, Switzerland, Summer 1944
• Unbuilt, unpainted
• Paint and glue not included

The D-3801 was a Swiss fighter aircraft of the Second World War, based on the French Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 and further developed and produced under license by the Eidgenössische Flugzeugwerke Emmen (Emmen Aircraft Works). It represented the most powerful variant of this aircraft family in Switzerland.

Its development arose from the Swiss Air Force's need for a modern interceptor for air defense. While the original M.S.406 was already obsolete before the war began, the D-3801 was upgraded through numerous improvements. Particularly important was the installation of a more powerful Hispano-Suiza 12Y-51 engine with approximately 1,050 hp, which significantly improved its flight performance.

Technically, it was a single-seat, all-metal, low-wing monoplane with retractable landing gear. Its top speed was around 535 km/h, and it had a typical service ceiling of over 10,000 meters. Its armament consisted of a 20 mm cannon in the engine cone and two 7.5 mm machine guns in the wings, making it adequately armed for its time.

A total of approximately 200 aircraft were built, primarily used for the defense of neutral Swiss airspace. Although the D-3801 was soon outmatched by the most modern fighter aircraft of the major powers, it reliably fulfilled its purpose and remained in service until the early postwar years.

The D-3801 was a pragmatically modernized, license-built version of a French fighter, enhanced by Swiss modifications, and played a vital role in Switzerland's air defense.