Dewoitine D.510

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Dewoitine D.510
Dewoitine D.510 (model)
Type: Fighter plane
Design country:

FranceFrance France

Manufacturer:

Dewoitine

First flight:

June 18, 1932

Commissioning:

September 1936

Number of pieces:

381

The Dewoitine D.510 was a single-engine French fighter from 1936. The D.510 was the last model in the D.500 series, a series of all - metal low- wing aircraft with an open cockpit that was used by the French Air Force in the 1930s .

history

The D.500 series was developed by Émile Dewoitine from 1930. It was to be the successor to the Nieuport 62 . The first prototype flew on June 18, 1932 and was France's first monoplane fighter . The D.501 and D.510 had a fixed front 20 mm cannon that could fire through the propeller, and two 7.5 mm machine guns under the wings. The aircraft had an oxygen supply for the pilot and shortwave radio.

Mission history

The D.501 entered service from July 1935 and the D.510 from September 1936. For their time they were very maneuverable and well armed. The hunters used in the mid-1930s usually had two to four machine guns. They became the main fighters in the French Air Force until it was replaced by the Morane-Saulnier MS406 in 1939 . At the beginning of the Second World War , the D.500 / 501 were assigned to regional defense units. Sixty D.510s were grouped into three units of the French Air Force. In the winter of 1939/40, only two defensive patrol flights were carried out by Polish pilots. In June 1940 40 machines were still in use in central France.

In Morocco , an Escadrille of D.510 (ERC 571) was activated in November 1939. In May 1940, the associations were combined with ERC 573 to form the GC III / 4 unit. This group was disbanded in late August 1940. The GC I / 6 unit was then formed in Dakar until the machines were replaced by Curtiss 75 at the end of 1941 .

Seven D.500 were sold to Latvia . Two machines were intended for the Emirate of Hejaz , but then went to the Republican troops in the Spanish Civil War for the 71st Costal Defense Group . However, they were not involved in any combat operations. The first machine was irreparably damaged in a failed landing; the second machine destroyed by a bomb attack on the airfield.

In 1938, Chinese D.510 attacked Japanese units.

variants

  • D.500 - first production model, Hispano-Suiza 12Xbrs with 660 PS (492 kW) and 7.5 mm Darne MGs (101 built)
  • D.501 - Hispano-Suiza 12Xcrs with 690 HP (515 kW) and 20 mm cannon (157 built)
  • D.503 - Hispano-Suiza 12Xcrs (conversion D.500)
  • D.510 - Hispano-Suiza 12Ycrs with 860 HP (641 kW) and 7.5 mm MGs MAC 1934 (120 built)
  • D.511 - smaller wingspan and new chassis (conversion D.500)

Technical specifications

Dewoitine D.510 :
Parameter Data
length    7.7 m
Wingspan    12.1 m
Wing area    16.5 m²
height    2.4 m
drive    1 × Hispano-Suiza 12Ycrs, 641 kW (860 PS)
Top speed    400 km / h
Range    860 km
crew    a pilot
Service ceiling    11,000 m
Empty weight    1,422 kg
All-up weight    1,923 kg
Armament    1 × 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS9 cannon, two 7.5 mm MG Darne or later MAC 1934

Countries of operation

literature

  • Dominique Breffort, André Jouineau: French Aircraft from 1939 to 1942.
  • Elke C. Weal, John A. Weal, Richard F. Barker: Combat Aircraft of World War Two.