Bloch MB.162

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Bloch MB.162
Bloch mb-162.jpg
Bloch MB.162
Type: Bomb plane
Design country:

FranceFrance France

Manufacturer:

SNCASO

First flight:

June 1, 1940

Commissioning:

-

Number of pieces:

1

The Bloch MB.162 was the prototype of a French four-engine bomber from 1940.

history

Until the late 1930s, the development of strategic bombers was neglected in Europe, including France. When the military threat posed by the German Reich became apparent in the course of Adolf Hitler's takeover , France also recognized the need for long-range bombers that could carry a high bomb load. For this purpose, the A20 program was launched , which, among other things, provided for the adaptation of existing mail and passenger aircraft types to military requirements.

The Société des Avions Marcel Bloch , which had become part of SNCASO from 1936 , had already great success with the fast four-engine Bloch MB.160 passenger aircraft and the Bloch MB.161 derived from it, with a range of 7,000 kilometers. Early on, the engineers at Bloch thought about converting the type into a long-range bomber. For this purpose, especially the bug of the MB.161 was revised. It soon became clear that the finished sample had the potential to overshadow all previous designs in this class.

A mock-up model of the new type called MB.162 was presented to the public at the Salon de l'Aéronautique in Paris in 1938. At that time it was planned, the aircraft with four Hispano-Suiza 14Aa 12/13 - radial engines equip. However, since production of the MB.161 was given priority, construction of an airworthy prototype MB.162.01 at SNCASO in Courbevoie did not begin until 1939. In contrast to the original plan, it was powered by four Gnôme-Rhône 14N / 28 radial engines. The aircraft was not assembled for the first flight until the spring of 1940 in Villacoublay . This took place on June 1, 1940, when the Wehrmacht was already on the advance. The MB.162.01 could still be flown to Bordeaux , where it later fell into enemy hands. Tests with the aircraft took place in 1942 under the supervision of the German company Focke-Wulf .

In 1943 the prototype was flown into the Reich and transferred to the I./KG 200 special unit , which was equipped with various types of long-range aircraft. The aircraft became part of the 1st squadron in Finow . His further fate is unknown.

If the Bloch MB.162 had been put into service with the Armée de l'air in 1941 as planned , France would have had a heavy bomber comparable to the British Avro Lancaster .

construction

The Bloch MB.162 was a low- wing aircraft in all-metal construction with a double vertical tail , which was driven by four radial engines of the Gnôme-Rhône 14N / 28 type , each with an output of 1100 hp. Up to 6,500 liters of aviation fuel could be carried in eight wing tanks. The bow of the fuselage was glazed. The undercarriage could be hydraulically pulled into the two inner motor nacelles and partially covered.

The defensive armament consisted of two 7.5-mm machine guns of the type MAC 1934 (one in the glassed bow and one under the fuselage) and two 20-mm automatic cannon type Hispano-Suiza HS-404 (a one under the fuselage, arranged to shoot backwards).

Up to 3600 kilograms of bombs could be carried in shafts.

Technical specifications

Three-sided view of the Bloch MB.162B5
Bloch MB.162
Parameter Data
 length    22.16 m 
 height    3.75 m 
 span    k. A. 
 Wing area    107 m² 
 drive    4 air-cooled radial engines Gnome-Rhône 14N / 48 with 1,100 HP (approx. 810 kW) each 
 Top speed    485 km / h 
 Rate of climb    k. A. 
 Service ceiling    9000 m 
 Range    2400 km 
 Empty mass    k. A. 
 Takeoff mass    k. A. 
 crew    5 
 Armament    2 MG caliber 7.5 mm MAC 1934
2 cannons caliber 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS-404
3600 kg bombs 

Countries of operation

See also

swell

  • Dominique Breffort, André Jouineau, Alan McKay (translator): French Aircraft from 1939 to 1942 Volume 1: From ANF to Curtiss. Histoire & Collections, ISBN 2-915239-23-1 (English).

Web links

Commons : Bloch MB.162  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files