CASA 2.111

The CASA 2.111 is a twin-engine medium bomber derived from the German Heinkel He 111 and built in Spain under licence by Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA). In 1940 CASA negotiated a contract with Heinkel to produce 200 examples of the He 111 H-16 at Seville, but production was slow and little support came from Germany. Spain found a store of Junkers Jumo 211F-2 engines in France, which allowed 130 aircraft to be completed in three versions: the 2.111A medium bomber, the 2.111C reconnaissance bomber and the 2.111F dual-control trainer. The first Spanish-built aircraft flew on 23 May 1945, and once German engines became unobtainable CASA fitted Rolls-Royce Merlin 500 engines, creating the 2.111B and 2.111D. Spanish examples served into the late 1960s and the transports into the early 1970s, and the aircraft was used in combat in the Ifni War of 1957 to 1958. Because they closely resembled the He 111, they also stood in for German aircraft in films such as Battle of Britain.