Weiss WM-21 Sólyom

The Weiss WM-21 Sólyom (Falcon) was a 1930s Hungarian light bomber and reconnaissance biplane developed by the Manfred Weiss company from the earlier WM-16 which was based on the Fokker C.V.

Design and development
The WM-21 was designed as an simplified variant of the WM-16 for service use, the structure was strengthened and refined and the tailwheel was replaced with a tailskid to allow for shorter landing runs on grass airfields. A conventional biplane, the Sólyom was powered by a 870 hp Weiss WM-K-14A radial engine. A total of 128 aircraft were built by three different factories, Manfred Weiss built 25, 43 by MAVAG and 60 by MWG.

Operational history
The first aircraft entered service in 1939 with short-range reconnaissance units, although active during the 1940 dispute with Romania their first active operational use was during the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia in August 1941. From June 1941 they were used to support Hungarian Army units in the Ukraine and then against Soviet partisans. Around 80 aircraft were also transferred to duties as trainers, as they were removed from operational use, until 1945.

Operators

 * Royal Hungarian Air Force
 * Royal Hungarian Air Force