Loire 130
| Loire 130 | |
|---|---|
 Loire 130 during catapult launch |
|
| Type: | Catapultable multi-purpose flying boat |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
November 19, 1934 |
| Commissioning: |
1938 |
| Number of pieces: |
about 125 |
The Loire 130 is a French flying boat that was mainly used during World War II .
development
The Loire 130 is based on a tender by the French Navy in 1933 for a three-seater, catapultable multi-purpose flying boat, which, in addition to being used on board, should also be suitable for use near the coast. In the following year, the prototype was completed and took off for the first flight on November 19, 1934. During testing, problems with flight stability came to light that could not be eliminated for a long time and delayed the start of production by almost two years. It was not until August 1936 that construction of the first 45-piece series began. This order was increased three times to a total of 49 Loire 130s, the last time in October 1938. Two versions were produced: the normal version Loire 130M (for Metropolis ) for use in France and the Loire 130C (for Colonie ) for use in the French colonies in overseas with larger coolers and special tropical equipment. However, it was not until 1938 that the pattern was adopted by the armed forces. It was used on almost all ships of the Navy equipped with a catapult, including from 1939 on the Commandant Teste and the units 7S3 and 7S4 . In colonial use she flew among others with the 8S2 in Fort-de-France , the 8S3 in French West Africa and the 8S4 in Lebanon . As the number of units increased, around 1939/1940 the model was incorporated into newly established naval and land-based units. Loire 130 flew z. B. in the service of the Armée de l'air in French Indochina .
At the beginning of the western campaign in May 1940, the delivery of the Loire 130 that had been ordered had not yet been completed and after the defeat of France, the Vichy government had another 30 aircraft produced in addition to the aircraft it had taken over from the French army. The government of free France also incorporated some Loire 130 into its armed forces. The versatile model was flown on both sides throughout the war for a wide variety of purposes, such as coastal surveillance and reconnaissance, for transport and training tasks, for escorting convoys and for artillery observation. From November 1942, all of the Loire 130 still ship-based were stationed ashore after the Vichy fleet had sunk itself . Even after the end of the war, the aircraft continued to be used. The last Loire 130M, which was assigned to the E8S in Indochina, was decommissioned and scrapped in late 1949 / early 1950. Today none of the approximately 125 to 150 copies built has survived.
construction
The Loire 130 is a braced shoulder decker in composite construction . The two-stage hull, like the two-sided, single-stage support floats, is made entirely of metal. The floats are connected to the fuselage and wings by struts. The wing is designed in two parts, has two spars and ribs made of védal and duralumin and is covered with fabric. It can be folded up during on-board operation and in the middle part houses the main fuel tank for the engine with pressure screw and front cooler located above in a nacelle. The tail unit is self-supporting and consists of a metal frame covered with fabric, with the exception of the lower part of the fin, which forms a unit with the fuselage. At the end of the horizontal stabilizer, which can be adjusted in flight, there are small auxiliary side fins at both ends. Both side and elevators are balanced.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 3 (+ 4 passengers if connecting) |
| length | 11.30 m |
| span | 16.00 m |
| height | 3.85 m |
| Wing area | 38.17 m² |
| Wing extension | 6.6 |
| Empty mass | 2010 kg |
| Payload | normal 1250 kg maximum 1490 kg |
| Takeoff mass | normal 3260 kg maximum 3500 kg |
| Wing loading | 86 kg / m² |
| Power load | 4.5 kg / hp |
| Area performance | 19 hp / m² |
| drive | a water-cooled twelve-cylinder - V-type engine with two-bladed propeller pressure |
| Type | Hispano-Suiza 12 Xbrs-1 with 720 PS (530 kW) |
| Top speed | 208 km / h near the ground 226 km / h at 2800 m altitude |
| Marching speed | 180 km / h at 2000 m altitude 150 km / h (economical) |
| Minimum speed | 98 km / h |
| Rate of climb | 220 m / min |
| Rise time | 45 min at 6200 m |
| Start time | 17 s at 3260 kg takeoff weight 20 s at 3500 kg takeoff weight |
| Summit height | practically 4500 m, absolute 6200 m |
| Range | normal 850 km maximum 1260 km with additional tank at 3500 kg takeoff weight |
| Radius of action | maximum 450 km |
| Flight duration | 7.5 h at 150 km / h |
| Armament | a rigid 7.5 mm MG Darne left in front of the pilot's cabin a movable 7.5 mm twin MG Darne in the back of the fuselage |
| Drop ammunition | two 75 kg bombs G-2 or two 75 kg depth charges SM at outstations under the wing struts near the fuselage |
literature
- Ulrich Israel: Flying Boats of the Second World War . In: Wolfgang Sellenthin (Ed.): Deutscher Fliegerkalender 1969 . German Military Publishing House, Berlin 1968, p. 186/187 .
- Ulrich Israel: Flying Boats of the Second World War . German Military Publishing House, Berlin 1972, p. 70/71 .
- Peter All-Fernandez (ed.): Aircraft from A to Z . Volume 3: Koolhoven FK 56-Zmaj. Bernard & Graefe, Koblenz 1989, ISBN 3-7637-5906-9 , pp. 61 .
- Werner von Langsdorff : Handbook of aviation . Born in 1939. 2nd, unchanged edition. J. F. Lehmann, Munich 1937, p. 264/265 .
