Bloch MB.200
| Bloch MB.200 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | bomber |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
June 17, 1933 |
| Production time: |
1933-1939 |
| Number of pieces: |
332 |
The Bloch MB.200 was a medium-weight four-seat bomber aircraft made in France .
development
The prototype of the MB.200 flew for the first time on June 17, 1933 under the designation MB.200.01 . A total of 208 machines of the MB.200B4 variant (bomber, crew of four) were then produced for the French air force . By 1935, twelve groupes de bombardement of the Armée de l'air had been equipped with it.
In Czechoslovakia , the MB.200 was built from 1937 by Aero and Avia under license under the type designations Aero MB-200 and Avia MB.200 for the local air forces. A production volume of 74 copies was originally agreed. When the German Reich annexed Czechoslovakia in 1939, the Luftwaffe took over a total of 67 MB-200s. Four more machines were still under construction, the last three of which were taken over in April 1939 (W.Nr. 72, 73 and 74). From 1940 the machines were scrapped at Letov Plant 2 in Olomouc, although the last flight of an MB-200 (W.Nr.65) was not recorded until March 6, 1941.
The further development of the Bloch MB.200 led to the Bloch MB.210 . The later Bloch MB.131 reconnaissance bomber also had similarities in construction.
commitment
The MB.200 was already technically obsolete at the beginning of the Second World War and was withdrawn from active frontline use before the German offensive in May 1940 .
The specimens captured by the Germans after the armistice were used as training and liaison aircraft and also passed on to allied states of the Axis ( Romania , Bulgaria , Croatia , Slovakia ), who used them for similar purposes or in combat missions against the Red Army .
Some specimens remained in the ranks of the Air Force of Vichy-France . These were made even in June 1941 to active combat operations against the MB.200 fleet of Royal Navy off the coast of Lebanon during the British attack on the French occupied Levante one. These actions, however, ended with great losses for the French.
Technical specifications
| Bloch MB.200B4 | |
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| length | 16.00 m |
| height | k. A. |
| span | k. A. |
| Wing area | 62.50 m² |
| drive | two radial engines Gnôme-Rhône 14K Mistral Major each with 649 kW (870 PS) |
| Top speed | 245 km / h at an altitude of 4,300 m |
| Rate of climb | 260 m / min |
| Service ceiling | 8,000 m |
| Range | 1,000 km |
| Empty mass | k. A. |
| Takeoff mass | k. A. |
| crew | 4th |
| Armament | 3 × 7.5 mm MG MAC 1934 in rotating turrets and up to 1,200 kg bombs in the internal weapon bay |
Countries of operation
-
Aero MB.200 of the Bulgarian Air Force , 1941
France
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Vichy France
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Bulgaria
-
German Empire
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Spain
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Slovakia
-
Czechoslovakia
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Comparable types
See also
literature
- Dominique Breffort, André Jouineau, Alan McKay (translator): French Aircraft from 1939 to 1942 Volume 1: From ANF to Curtiss. Histoire & Collections, ISBN 2915239231 (English).
- Kenneth Munson: The World War II Planes. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 387943302X .
