Andreasson BA-7 a.k.a. Malmö Flygindustri MFI-9
Model Airplane News Cover Art for May, 1961
by Jo Kotula
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The Andreasson BA-7 was designed and built as an amateur project by Bjorn Andreasson of San Diego, California in 1958. It was was an all-metal braced shoulder-wing monoplane with a tricycle undercarriage,powered by a Continental engine providing a top speed of 130 kmh and a range of 400 mi. It became a highly successful assault aircraft in the Nigerian Civil War.

  

Andreasson BA-7 a.k.a. Malmö Flygindustri MFI-9
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The Malmö Flygindustri MFI-9 Junior was a light aircraft produced in Sweden in the 1960s from Bjorn Andreasson's design; it went into production as the MFI-9 Junior. Changes included a larger cockpit and a larger engine. In 1963 it was followed by the MFI-9B Trainer and then the MFI-9B Mili-Trainer.

One variant of the MFI-9 which gained widespread fame was the MiniCOIN (an acronym for "Miniature Counter-Insurrection"), a modification of the MFI-9B, adapted to carry weapons; a flight of them were flown on the Biafran side in the Nigerian Civil War. The flight (and name) originated with Carl Gustaf von Rosen, who realized that in a low intensity conflict even a few small, minimally-armed aircraft are capable of having a significant impact. Light aircraft are in any event more suitable for operation in the primitive conditions typical in such conflicts. Von Rosen was familiar with the military trainer version of the MFI-9, which was robust enough to be able to carry significant loads of ordnance suspended from hard points on the wings. A number of MFI-9Bs had been constructed in hopes of a sale to the Swedish Air Force, but when the sale fell through, the aircraft became available at a low price. After conversion, they saw extensive service during most of the war.

Here is a video of the Andreasson BA-7 a.k.a. Malmö Flygindustri MFI-9 in action:

Click Here for more information about the Andreasson BA-7 a.k.a. Malmö Flygindustri MFI-9.

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