Dewoitine D.373
| Dewoitine D.373 | |
|---|---|
 D.372, the export version of the D.371 |
|
| Type: | Fighter plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| Commissioning: |
1938 |
| Number of pieces: |
40 |
The Dewoitine D.373 is a carrier-based French fighter aircraft from the second half of the 1930s.
history
The D.373 emerged as a member of the D.37 series when the French Navy requested a version of the land-based D.371 for the aircraft carrier Béarn in 1934 .
The aircraft was designed as a braced high - wing aircraft in all-metal half-shell construction. The fuselage consisted of a light metal grid construction with sheet metal cladding. The two-spar wing consisted of three parts and was also planked with sheet metal. The horizontal stabilizer was supported on the fuselage with one strut on each side. All oars were covered with fabric. The rigid chassis had an aerodynamically shaped fairing, was equipped with wheel brakes and air-suspension. An air-cooled Mistral Major radial engine with an adjustable three-bladed propeller made of all metal served as the drive . The fuel tank was in the fuselage and held 300 liters. An additional container could be hung below to increase the range . The D.373 was a manoeuvrable aircraft and had very good climbing performance .
In addition to these features, in which it coincided with the D.371, the D.373 received some changes tailored to the carrier operation. This included a pneumatic suspension hook under the rear fuselage, buoyancy bags in the wing and emergency equipment. The radio and blind flight equipment has been improved.
Construction and development lasted from 1935 to 1936; 40 (?) aircraft were produced, which were put into service by Aéronautique Maritime from 1938, 16 of them on the Béarn as a 7C-1 fighter squadron. The rest was kept in reserve or used for training purposes.
At the beginning of the Second World War, the D.373 protective patrols flew over the French coast. Individual aircraft received bomb suspensions under the wings and flew ground combat missions against the German troops, using the large ailerons and landing flaps as dive brakes .
The improved version D.376 with folding wings and a more powerful motor was also created, but it was not delivered.
Military use
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data (D.373 C-1) |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Société Aéronautique Francaise-Avions Dewoitine |
| Conception | Carrier-based fighter aircraft |
| length | 7.40 m |
| Wingspan | 11.80 m |
| height | 3.90 m |
| Wing area | 17.80 m² |
| drive | a 14-cylinder double radial engine Gnome Rhône 14Kfs Mistral Major |
| Starting power | 684 kW (930 hp) |
| Fuel volume | 300 l without additional lower hull container |
| Top speed | 430 km / h at an altitude of 4,200 m |
| Marching speed | 320 km / h |
| Rate of climb | 980 m / min |
| Service ceiling | 9,000 m |
| Range | normal 700 km maximum 860 km |
| Radius of action | 340 km |
| Flight duration | normal 2.2 h maximum 3.0 h |
| Empty mass | 1,520 kg |
| Takeoff mass | normal 2,014 kg maximum 2,150 kg |
| Armament | four fixed machine guns with 300 rounds each in the wing (7.5 mm MAC or 7.9 mm Darne ) or two 20 mm cannons with 60 rounds each in the wing (HS-404) |
| Drop ammunition | four 10 kg bombs or two 50 kg bombs |
| crew | 1 pilot |
literature
- Ulrich Israel: carrier aircraft of the second world war . In: Wolfgang Sellenthin (Ed.): Deutscher Fliegerkalender 1971 . German Military Publishing House, Berlin 1970, p. 178/179 .
- Elke C. Weal: Combat Aircraft of World War Two . MacMillan Publishing Inc., New York 1977, ISBN 0-02-624660-0 .
- John W. R. Taylor, Jean Alexander: Combat Aircraft of the World . G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York 1969, ISBN 0-7181-0564-8 .