French military aircraft 1930-1939

Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 75. Chapters: French bomber aircraft 1930-1939, French fighter aircraft 1930-1939, French military reconnaissance aircraft 1930-1939, French military rescue aircraft 1930-1939, French military trainer aircraft 1930-1939, French military transport aircraft 1930-1939, French military utility aircraft 1930-1939, Dewoitine D.520, Morane-Saulnier M.S.406, Lioré et Olivier LeO 45, Amiot 143, Potez 630, Breguet 693, Bloch MB.150, Caudron C.714, Latécoère 550, Latécoère 440, SAB AB-20, Latécoère 490, Nieuport-Delage NiD 52, Arsenal VG-33, Weymann 66, SNCAC NC.150, Romano R.90, Bloch MB.170, Bloch MB.200, Dewoitine D.500, SNCAC NC.4-10, Latécoère 570, Amiot 354, Breguet 730, Farman NC.470, SNCAO 200, Nieuport-Delage NiD-120, Farman F.220, Potez-CAMS 141, Farman F.420, Latécoère 611, Loire-Nieuport LN.401, Bernard 70, Bloch MB.480, SNCAO 30, Hanriot H.180, Morane-Saulnier M.S.225, Potez 39, Bloch MB.131, Blériot-SPAD S.510, Bloch MB.210, Breguet Nautilus, Morane-Saulnier MS.230, Breguet 521, Dewoitine D.513, ANF Les Mureaux 170, Potez 540, Morane-Saulnier MS.130, ANF Les Mureaux 113, Potez 650, SNCASE SE.100, Loire 210, Bloch MB.81, Bernard H.52, Hanriot H.230, SNCASE SE-400, Latécoère 290, Dewoitine D.371, Farman F.270, Gourdou-Leseurre GL-832 HY, Morane-Saulnier M.S.325, FBA 290, Latécoère 582, Morane-Saulnier MS.315, Farman F.211, Caudron Simoun, Lioré et Olivier LeO H-43, Romano R.82, Loire 70, Caudron C.690, Potez 452, Bloch MB.162, ANF Les Mureaux 120, Dewoitine D.560, Loire 130, Loire 46, Bloch MB.220, Loire-Nieuport 10, Nieuport-Delage NiD 62, Bernard 82, Bloch MB.120, Loire 501, ANF Les Mureaux 190, Dewoitine D.372, Loire 60. Excerpt: The Dewoitine D.520 was a French fighter aircraft that entered service in early 1940, shortly after the opening of World War II. Unlike the Morane-Saulnier M.S.406, which was at that time the Armée de l'Airs most numerous fighter, the Dewoitine D.520 came close to being a match for the latest German types, such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109. It was slower than the Bf 109E but superior in manoeuvrability. Because of a delayed production cycle, only a small number were available for combat with the Luftwaffe. The D.520 was designed in response to a 1936 requirement from the Armée de l'Air for a fast, modern fighter with a good climbing speed and an armament centred around a 20 mm cannon. At the time the most powerful V 12 liquid cooled engine available in France was the Hispano-Suiza 12Y, which was less powerful, but lighter, than contemporary engines such as the Rolls-Royce Merlin and Daimler-Benz DB 601. Other fighters were designed to meet the specifications but none of them entered service, or entered service in small numbers and too late to play a significant role during the Battle of France. In response to a specification for a new fighter promulgated by the l'Air Ministry on 15 June 1936, the design of the D.520 started in September 1936, at the private design firm led by Émile Dewoitine. The specifications called for a maximum speed of 500 km/h (310 mph) at 4,000 m (13,000 ft), the ability to climb to 8,000 m (26,000 ft) in less than fifteen minutes, with take-off and landing runs not exceeding 400 m (1,300 ft). The armament was to be two 7.5 mm (.295 in) machine guns and one 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.9 cannon, or two HS.9 cannon. Dewoitine had been disappointed with the performance of his last design, the Dewoitine D.513, which was rejected by the Armée de l'Air in favour of the ...