Ikarus S-49C
The political divergence between the leadership of Yugoslavia and USSR in 1948 led to the end of the procurement of Soviet weapons, which forced Yugoslavia to turn to its own production. In accordance with that, the construction group consisting of Kosta Sivčev, Slobodan Zrnić and Svetozar Popović, created a new model of a fighter plane.
Working on the new aircraft, the engineers relied on the pre-war project of the IK-3 fighter plane. With minor changes, the Ikarus S-49 aircraft was produced. The first version used the Soviet "Klimov" engine, and later the French "Hispano Suiza" engine was used. The plane was used as a fighter until 1954, and then it was given the role of a fighter-bomber.
There are two Ikarus S-49 aircraft in the collection of the Aeronautical Museum. An aircraft of version C is on display, while the version A is kept in the Museum's depot.
