Potez 63
| Potez 63 | |
|---|---|
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| Type: | Fighter plane , bomber , liaison plane |
| Design country: | |
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| First flight: |
April 25, 1936 |
The Potez 630 was a twin-engine French aircraft. The series comprised numerous variants for different purposes. The model was designed by Louis Coroller and first flew on April 25, 1936. The design was similar to that of the British Bristol Blenheim and the German Messerschmitt Bf 110 .
The three-seat Potez 630 was a twin-engine heavy fighter that met the conditions of a 1934 tender, as did the successful Breguet 690 fighter aircraft . The aircraft had excellent flight characteristics and 80 machines were ordered in 1937. At the same time, 140 Potez 631 C.3 fighters were ordered, these had Gnome-Rhône -14M radial engines instead of the Hispano-Suiza-14-AB-10/11 engines of the Potez 630 . Another 60 Potez 631s were ordered in 1938. Of these, 20 machines were later to go to Finland, but they were never delivered.
Production and variants
In contrast to the production of many other French aircraft, Potez delivered all machines on time by the end of 1938. The speed of production was increased and a number of new prototypes were made. These were the dive fighter Potez 632 , the light bomber Potez 633 B2 , the night fighter Potez 635 CN2 , the liaison aircraft Potez 637 A3 (also Potez 63.11 A3 ), the two-seat bomber Potez 639 AB2 and the training aircraft Potez 631 Ins
The French Air Force ordered 125 Potez 633 B2 and 60 Potez 637 A3 light bombers. Other variants were the Potez 63.12 C3 fighter aircraft with a Pratt & Whitney R-1535 star engine (a prototype), the two-seat bomber Potez 63.13 Bp2 (a prototype) and the Potez 63.16 T3 training aircraft .
The French Air Force ordered a large number of the Potez 63.11 variants.
Working time
Since the engines of the Potez 630 caused problems, they were replaced by the Gnome Rhône radial engines of the Potez 631 before the start of the Second World War . The planes were slower than some German bombers and about 130 km / h slower than the Messerschmitt Bf 109 E, which at that time was already the standard fighter of the German Air Force . Some of the Potez 630 and Potez 631s delivered to Yugoslavia shortly before the French surrender were still used for national defense during the attack by the Axis powers in 1941.
The Potez 633 were stationed near Arras on May 20, 1940 , but were withdrawn from the front two days later. The flight of a Potez over Arras was later known from the novel Flight to Arras by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry . The Potez 633 were exported to Greece and Romania and used there more intensively. The Romanians fought against the Soviet Union . A small number were delivered to the French colonial administration in Indochina and were deployed there in early 1941.
By June 1940, more than 700 Potez 63.11 had been delivered. More than 220 were destroyed, the worst of any French aircraft type in World War II. The machines continued to be used under the Vichy regime , as well as in the free part of France in North Africa. The Germans resumed production and used the machines as liaison and training aircraft. Some Potez 63.11 were handed over to Romania and Hungary by the Germans . Italy used them with many other French captured aircraft for training purposes.
The German Air Force also used a collection of different Potez 63 types as trainers.
The machines of this Potez series had excellent flight characteristics, were easy to maintain and later heavily armed. Some Potez 63.11 had up to twelve machine guns. The weaknesses of the Potez lay in their weak engines and the low top speed. They were therefore an easy victim for the German Messerschmitts.
Countries of operation
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Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data Potez 63.11A.3 |
|---|---|
| crew | 3 |
| length | 10.93 m |
| span | 16.00 m |
| height | 3.08 m |
| Wing area | 32.7 m² |
| Empty mass | 3135 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 4530 kg |
| drive | 2 × Gnome-Rhône radial engines 14M-4/5 , each 522 kW (700 PS) |
| Top speed | 425 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 8500 m |
| Range | 1500 km |
| Armament | 3 × 7.5 mm MAC-1934 MG, 4 × 50 kg bombs |
