Loire 70
| Loire 70 | |
|---|---|
 Prototype of the Loire 70 |
|
| Type: | Long-range reconnaissance flying boat |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
December 28, 1933 |
| Commissioning: |
1937 |
| Number of pieces: |
1 + 7 |
The Loire 70 is a French flying boat for the Maritime Patrol . It originated in the 1930s and was still used in the early stages of World War II .
development
The Loire 70 was created after a request issued by the French Navy in 1932 for a long-range reconnaissance flying boat. The first flight of the prototype took place on December 28, 1933. It was then subjected to extensive tests, in the course of which two additional rudder fins were mounted on the horizontal stabilizer. Furthermore, the open defensive stand in the bow was replaced by a pulpit for the navigator / bombardier and provided with a closed hood. The three Gnome Rhône radial engines with 550 HP, of which the middle one was placed in a push and the other two in a pull configuration in frames on the upper wing, were felt to be too weak and replaced by more powerful drives with 740 HP from the same manufacturer. In the meantime, in 1934, the Navy had received an order for seven series models, which were delivered between June 1937 and June 1938, including the converted prototype. They were grouped in the Escadrille E 7 and stationed in Karouba , Tunisia , from where they carried out missions exclusively over the Mediterranean. When war broke out in September 1939, four Loire 70 were still operational, which carried out around 70 patrol flights in the adjacent sea area in the following months. On June 12, 1940, three of the four aircraft were destroyed in an Italian air raid on the base. The E 7 long-range reconnaissance squadron was therefore disbanded the following August. Nothing is known about the whereabouts of the last Loire 70.
construction
The Loire 70 is a stripped shoulder wing . It consists of a keeled , two-stage boat hull in all-metal construction , on which there are two single-stage metal support floats connected by struts on both sides. It is equipped with a galley and a laundry room. The wing consists of a four-part metal frame, the two inner parts of which are covered with aluminum and the two outer parts are covered with fabric. It is connected by struts to both the hull and the swimmers. The three engines are mounted on struts on the middle section; the two outer ones with propellers in tension, the rear in the middle in compression. The middle section also houses the tanks, whose capacity was initially 3200 l, but was later expanded to 4200 l. The tail unit has a normal construction, is braced and also consists of a metal frame with fabric covering. The fin is divided into two parts, the lower part forming a unit with the fuselage, on which the horizontal fin and the upper fin part are placed.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 6-8 |
| length | 19.50 m |
| span | 30.00 m |
| height | 6.75 m |
| Wing area | 136.00 m² |
| Wing extension | 6.6 |
| Preparation mass | 5,900 kg |
| Empty mass | 6,500 kg |
| Payload | normal 4,600 kg maximum 5600 |
| Takeoff mass | normal 10,500 kg maximum 11,500 kg |
| Wing loading | 77.1 kg / m² |
| Power load | 6.3 kg / hp |
| Area performance | 12.1 hp / m² |
| drive | three air-cooled nine-cylinder radial engines with three-bladed all-metal ratier propellers |
| Type |
Gnome-Rhône 9 Kfr with 550 HP (405 kW) each, later Gnome-Rhône 9 Kfr with 740 HP (544 kW) each |
| Fuel volume | 3200-4200 L. |
| Top speed | 235 km / h near the ground 232 km / h at an altitude of 1,000 m |
| Marching speed | 190 km / h at an altitude of 1,000 m 165 km / h (economical) |
| Rate of climb | 180 m / min |
| Start time | 22 s at a takeoff weight of 10,500 kg |
| Summit height | practically 4250 m, absolutely 5600 m |
| Range | 1,900 km with 10,500 kg take-off weight 2,500 km with 11,500 kg take-off weight |
| Radius of action | normal 800 km maximum 1,200 km |
| Flight duration | 10 h at 190 km / h 18.2 h at 165 km / h |
| Armament | a movable 7.5 mm twin machine gun in the bow of the hull a movable 7.5 mm twin machine gun in the back of the hull a movable 7.5 mm machine gun in the bottom of the hull behind the second boat step |
| Drop ammunition | 600 kg bombs or four 75 kg depth charges (practical) 1500 kg bombs or two torpedoes (projected) |
literature
- Ulrich Israel: Flying Boats of the Second World War . In: Wolfgang Sellenthin (Ed.): Deutscher Fliegerkalender 1969 . German Military Publishing House, Berlin 1968, p. 184/185 .
- Ulrich Israel: Flying Boats of the Second World War . German Military Publishing House, Berlin 1972, p. 68/69 .
- 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 .
