WesWorld

Reorganizing all threads. This post will be an index.

Fighter Aircraft

Strike (Ground-Attack) Aircraft

Bombers

Transport Aircraft

Utility Aircraft

Training Aircraft

Moraine-Saulnier MS.230
OTL aircraft, introduced 1927. 1000+ produced by 1940.

General characteristics
Crew: 2 (one instructor, one student)
Length: 6.70 m (22 feet 10 inches)
Wingspan: 10.70 m (35 feet 1 inch)
Height: 2.80 m (9 feet 2 inches)
Empty weight: 829 kg (1,828 pounds)
Loaded weight: 1,150 kg (2,535 pounds)
Powerplant: 1× Salmson 9AB, 9-cylinder, air-cooled radial engine, 109 kW (230 hp)

Performance
Maximum speed: 205 km/h (127 mph)
Range: 579 km (360 miles)
Service ceiling: 5,000 m (16,405 feet)

Armament
- None

Notes
Main trainer type used by Armee de l'Aire and Aeronavale between 1927 and 1945. Over one thousand built for French service. Exported to Czechoslovakia and elsewhere. (Belgium, Germany, Greece, Czechoslovakia, Brazil, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland and Spain all purchased the type in OTL.) All phased out to the reserve by 1946 due to production of the MS.730 Alcyone.

Morane-Saulnier MS.315
OTL training aircraft, introduced 1929. 350+ produced by 1940. Phased out to the reserve by 1946 due to production of the MS.730 Alcyone.

General characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 7.60 m (24 ft 11¼ in)
Wingspan: 12.00 m (39 ft 4½ in)
Height: 2.80 m (9 ft 2¼ in)
Wing area: 21.60 m² (232.51 ft²)
Empty weight: 548 kg (1208 lb)
Gross weight: 860 kg (1896 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Salmson 9Nc radial engine, 101 kW (135 hp)

Performance
Maximum speed: 170 km/h (106 mph)
Service ceiling: 5500 m (18,045 ft)

Lioré et Olivier LeO 451
OTL specs, aircraft

General characteristics

Crew: 4
Length: 17.17 m (56 ft 4 in)
Wingspan: 22.52 m (73 ft 11 in)
Height: 5.24 m (17 ft 2 in)
Wing area: 66 m² (710 ft²)
Empty weight: 7,530 kg (16,600 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 11,398 kg (25,130 lb)
Powerplant: 2× Gnome-Rhône 14N 48/49 or 38/39 14-cylinder air-cooled two-row radial engine, 790 kW (1,060 hp) each
Fuel capacity: 3,235 l (855 US gal)

Performance
Maximum speed: 495 km/h, up to 502 km/h on trials (260 knots, 300 mph) at 4,000 m (13,125 ft)
Cruise speed: 420 km/h (225 knots, 260 mph)
Range: 2900 km (1,565 nm, 1,800 mi)
Service ceiling: 9,000 m (29,530 ft)

Armament
- 1 x 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon in dorsal turret, 120 rounds
- 1 x 7.5 mm (0.295 in) MAC 1934 fixed forward-firing machine gun, 300 rounds
- 1x 7.5 mm MAC 1934 in "dustbin" retractable ventral turret, 500 rounds
- Up to 1568 kg (3,457 lb) of bombs in fuselage and wing root bomb bays (7x 200 kg bombs (actual bomb weight: 224 kg or 494 lb))

Development Timeline
- First Flight: January 15, 1934
- In Production: 1935
- In Service: 1935
- Retired to Reserves: 1947

Morane-Saulnier MS.440
License-built EKW C-3603.

Specifications
Wingspan: 45 ft 1 in (13.74 m)
Length: 40 ft 8 in (12.40 m)
Height: 13 ft 4 in (4.05 m)
Wing Area: 308.92 ft² (28.7 m2)
Empty weight: 5,104 lb lbs (2,315 kg)
Loaded weight: 7,915 lbs (3590 kg)
Engine: 1 × 1,250hp Hispano-Suiza 12Z
Crew: 2
Armour: 8mm thick armoured bulkhead

Performance
Max speed: 296 mph (477 km/h)
Range: 423 miles (680 km)
Service ceiling: 32,800 ft
Rate of climb:

Armament
- 1 × 20 mm motorcannon
- 2 × 20mm cannon in wings
- 2 × 7.5mm MG (rear cockpit)
- 880 lbs (400kg) bombs

Notes
One hundred sixty aircraft were procured during the late 1930s following poor French experience with ground-attack aircraft during the 1937 Maroc Crisis. These Swiss-designed aircraft were well-liked and offered extensive service before their final retirement in 1950.

Morane-Saulnier MS.440
License-built EKW C-3603.

Specifications
Wingspan: 45 ft 1 in (13.74 m)
Length: 40 ft 8 in (12.40 m)
Height: 13 ft 4 in (4.05 m)
Wing Area: 308.92 ft² (28.7 m2)
Empty weight: 5,104 lb lbs (2,315 kg)
Loaded weight: 7,915 lbs (3590 kg)
Engine: 1 × 1,250hp Hispano-Suiza 12Z
Crew: 2
Armour: 8mm thick armoured bulkhead

Performance
Max speed: 296 mph (477 km/h)
Range: 423 miles (680 km)
Service ceiling: 32,800 ft
Rate of climb:

Armament
- 1 × 20 mm motorcannon
- 2 × 20mm cannon in wings
- 2 × 7.5mm MG (rear cockpit)
- 880 lbs (400kg) bombs

Notes
One hundred sixty aircraft were procured during the late 1930s following poor French experience with ground-attack aircraft during the 1937 Maroc Crisis. These Swiss-designed aircraft were well-liked and offered extensive service before their final retirement in 1950.

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Loire-Nieuport LN.190 Épouvantail / TNAC Hunlika
General characteristics
Crew: 2 (pilot, gunner-spotter)
Length: 12.5 m (41 ft)
Wingspan: 18 m (59 ft 1 in)
Height: 3.75 m (12 ft 3 in)
Wing area: 39 m² (409 ft²)
Empty weight: 2,700 kg (5,952 lb)
Loaded weight: 4,000 kg (8,818.5 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Dietrich-Lorraine DL-411 (licensed Argus As 411), 592 hp (441 kW) each

Performance:
Maximum speed: 400 km/h at 2,600 m (248 mph at 8,000 ft)
Range: 700 km (434 mi)
Service ceiling: 8,000 m (27,550 ft)
Rate of climb: 8.5 m/s (27.9 ft/min)
Wing loading: 102.5 kg/m² (21.5 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 110.25 W/kg (0.067 hp/lb)

Armament:
- 4 × 7.5 mm machine guns (or 2 × 12.7mm MGs) mounted in the wing roots
- 2 × 23mm HS.406 cannon in nose
- 20 × 10 kg (22 lb) bombs
- 8 × 50 kg (110 lb) bombs or rockets under wings

Notes:
- Also built by AIAI in Saigon.



Development
Following an exchange of correspondence between Loire-Nieuport's chief engineer at AIAI (Atelier Industriel de l'Aéronautique d'Indochine) and TNAC in 1940, the French and Thai governments agreed to cooperate on the design of an aircraft for light bombing, mid-ranged reconnaissance, aerial policing, and counter-insurgency duties. Many of the initial specifications for the plane were derived from an unfilled 1937 French Army request for a light counter-insurgency aircraft for use in Africa, although the design evolved substantially. The driving requirements were a low overall cost of construction and operation, high reliability, all-weather rough-field operation in "hot-and-dry" and "hot-and-wet" climates, protection from ground-based small arms fire, high loiter time, and a modest weapons load.

Design work started in November 1940, preceding the formal announcement of the collaboration effort, announced in December at the Paris Air Show. Design work largely took place at TNAC's design shop in Bangkok and AIAI's newer facility in Saigon, although some time was lost due to the lack of a wind tunnel in the region. The fuselage and empennage design originated from an earlier (1938) Loire-Nieuport proposal, while Thai designers worked out much of the main wing, which shared a visual similarity to the similarly-sized Focke-Wulf Fw.189. By August 1941, both AIAI and TNAC began construction of the initial prototypes. The French-built IA.30 prototype flew first on September 3rd, 1941, followed by the Thai-built prototype several days later. Testing uncovered a number of shortcomings which were addressed with the second set of prototypes in December 1941. Loire-Nieuport built several prototypes of their own in metropolitan France in October 1941, and suggested a number of further changes to the landing gear, wing and empennage design based on their initial testing. Official acceptance trials with the third set of prototypes began in March 1942 in Thailand and April in French Indochina and metropolitan France and Indochina. The Armee de l'Aire quickly accepted the design and ordered it into production by August 1942. (Acceptance data for Thailand is not known at this time.)

Design
The resulting aircraft, designated the Épouvantail ("Scarecrow") in France and the Hunlika in Thailand, featured a mid-mounted wing with two IAIA-manufactured DL-411 V-12 inline (license-built Argus As-411) engines turning three-blade propellers. The two crewmen sat in tandem, with the pilot sitting in a raised position behind the bombardier-observer. Although provision was made for a third crewman to operate a defensive machine-gun from an aft hatch-style mount, this required the removal of the armour plate behind the pilot. Armament included two 23mm Hispano-Suiza HS.406 cannon mounted in the nose and two to four lighter machine guns in the wing roots. Eight 50kg bombs or eight air-to-ground unguided rockets could be carried on the under-wing weapons rack, and underbelly mounting points could carry twenty 10kg light bombs.

As the designers tried to minimize production costs and mitigate possible maintenance issues, many features of the aircraft revolved around eliminating potential points-of-failure. The initial designs featured fixed main landing gear and a non-retractable tailwheel, although this configuration resulted in particularly poor ground-handling behavior. Efforts to fix this issue finally resulted in use of retractable tricycle landing gear, which allowed for both better ground-handling characteristics and airborne performance, albeit at the loss of the desired mechanical simplicity.

Although the initial Franco-Thai design work focused on design for hot-and-wet climates by eliminating, where possible, construction materials prone to rot or rust, the aircraft also proved suitable for desert operations with minimal modification, mainly in the installation of sand filters for the engines.

Many traditional aspects of aerial performance, such as speed and rate of climb, were not strongly emphasized due to the intended mission profile. When clean, with no external stores, the aircraft could achieve just over 215 knots and a climb rate of 8.5 meters per second. Specially-designed Fowler flaps, another concession of simplicity to performance, enhanced the short-field takeoff and landing capabilities. However, in terms of loiter time, the Épouvantail excelled: with the engines throttled back to their most efficient setting at 85 knots at under two thousand meters, the plane could achieve over eight hours of endurance on its internal fuel, even with a full load of external stores. At low speeds and low altitudes, the aircraft had a very tight turning circle, and had a very stable flight, particularly below one hundred knots.

Dewoitine D.525C.1 Bourrasque
Fighter introduced 1941. Most moved to reserves by 1947.

General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 9.6 m (32 ft 5 in)
Wingspan: 10.5 m (34 ft 5 in)
Height: 2.57 m (8 ft 5 in)
Wing area: 17.65 m² (190 ft²)
Empty weight: 2,550 kg (5,621 lb)
Loaded weight: 3,400 kg (7,495 lb)
Powerplant: 1× Hispano-Suiza 12Z liquid-cooled V12 engine with two-stage Turbomeca supercharger, 1,650hp

Performance
Maximum speed: 657.5 km/h (355 kn, 408.5 mph)
Range: 1,500 km (932 mi)
Service ceiling: 11,500 m (37,730 ft)
Rate of climb: 20.8 m/s (4,100 ft/min)

Armament
- 4 × 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 (60-rounds) cannon

Variants:
- HD.790: Seaplane fighter variant.

North American P-51 Mustang
Twenty-five of these aircraft were acquired for the use of the Ecole guerre aérienne des Alliés (Allied Aerial Warfare School) as adversary-instructor aircraft.

General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 9.83 m (32 ft 3 in)
Wingspan: 11.28 m (37 ft 0 in)
Height: 4.08 m (13 ft 4½ in)
Wing area: 21.83 m² (235 ft²)
Empty weight: 3,465 kg (7,635 lb)
Loaded weight: 4,175 kg (9,200 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 5,490 kg (12,100 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Orenda Merlin liquid-cooled supercharged V-12, 1,490 hp (1,111 kW) at 3,000 rpm;[74] 1,720 hp (1,282 kW) at WEP

Performance:
Maximum speed: 703 km/h (437 mph) at 7,600 m (25,000 ft)
Cruise speed: 580 km/h (362 mph)
Stall speed: 160 km/h (100 mph)
Range: 2,755 km (1,650 mi) with external tanks
Service ceiling: 12,800 m (41,900 ft)
Rate of climb: 16.3 m/s (3,200 ft/min)
Wing loading: 192 kg/m² (39 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 300 W/kg (0.18 hp/lb)

Notes:
These aircraft are all unarmed.

Arsenal VG.60 Revenant ("Ghost") fighter
Design and Development
The Arsenal VG.60 was a clean-sheet design started in early 1937 to provide a potential follow-on aircraft for the VG.30 and its variants. While the "Thirty Series" saw mass production up until 1941, with the VG.39bis serving as the ultimate variant, the design was often critiqued particularly in comparison to other aircraft on the international scene. Arsenal's designers drew on their experiences both with the failed VB.10 and the more successful VG.30. One of the main concerns, as a result of difficulties with Thirty-Series, was designing the VG.60 for ease of mass-production at the new Arsenal factory under construction at Châtillon-sous-Bagneux, which was designed to produce five hundred aircraft per year. While this emphasis on ease of production drove much of the VG.60's design, a conscious effort was made to reduce unnecessary weight through use of materials such as duralumin; and improve performance with additions such as the Meredith radiators, similar to those used on the VG.30 series. The final aircraft featured a bubble canopy (as installed on the final VG.39bis models) for high pilot visibility, with a protective sheet of armour and armoured glass behind the pilot's seat.

Specifications
Wingspan: 10.7 m (35.1 feet)
Length: 8.86 m (29 feet)
Height: 3.14 m (10.3 feet)
Wing Area: 18.8 m² (202.36 ft²)
Empty weight: 2445 kg (5,390 lbs)
Loaded Weight: 3274 kg (7,218 lbs)
Engine: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 12Z (1,650 hp takeoff)
Crew: 1 (pilot)

Performance
Max speed: 668 kph (415 mph) @ 7,000 meters
Range: 994.5 km (618 miles)
Service ceiling: 11,650 m (38,221 ft)
Power to weight ratio: 0.228 hp/lb
Wingloading: 174 kg/m² / 35.7 lb/ft²
Rate of climb: 18.5 mps (1,115 fpm)

Armament
- 1 × 23 mm HS.406 motorcannon with 90 rounds
- 4 × 13.2mm Hotchkiss in wings with 300 rounds each or 2 × 20mm HS.404

Variants
- VG.60: Initial production version armed with one HS.406 23mm cannon and four 12.7mm Hotchkiss machine guns.
- VG.61(N): License-built version by Societie Nord and produced concurrently to the VG.60. Armed with three HS.404 20mm cannon. Otherwise identical to the VG.60.
- VG.61(H): License-built version by Hanriot. Armed with one HS.406 23mm cannon and four 12.7mm Hotchkiss machine guns; uses a Farman HS(F)-12Z engine (license-built HS-12Z).
- VG.61(A): License-built version by Amiot. Armed with one HS.406 23mm cannon and four 12.7mm Hotchkiss machine guns. License-built starting May 1941.

Arsenal VG.64 Revenant ("Ghost") fighter
Design and Development
The Arsenal VG.64 originated with the preceding VG.60 Revenant, with Arsenal's designers aiming to draw even higher performance out of the existing airframe. The aircraft received the latest Hispano-Suiza V-12 inline engine, the 12Z-55, and a Turbomeca two-stage variable speed supercharger. Significant aerodynamics and ease-of-production lessons were applied from the VG.60. The VG.64 gained 140kg but proved to be substantially faster than its predecessor. Another major change was the adoption of tricycle landing gear, which improved the plane's ground-handling characteristics. However, the forward landing-gear strut suffered from production quality issues, and several VG.64s were damaged or written off when the forward strut collapsed during hard or rough-field landings. Production switched over to the VG.64 in December 1941, although Amiot continued manufacturing VG.60s until April 1942.

Specifications
Wingspan: 10.7 m (35.1 feet)
Length: 9.1 m (29 ft 10 in)
Height: 3.14 m (10.3 feet)
Wing Area: 18.8 m² (202.36 ft²)
Empty weight: 2585 kg (5699 lbs)
Loaded Weight: 3434 kg (7571 lbs)
Engine: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 12Z-55 (1,800 hp / 1,342 kW takeoff) with two-stage variable speed Turbomeca supercharger
Crew: 1 (pilot)

Performance
Max speed: 705 kph (380 knots, 438 mph) at 7,000 meters
Range: 1100 km (683 miles)
Service ceiling: 11,750 m (38,549 ft)
Power to weight ratio: 0.237 hp/lb at loaded weight
Wingloading: 183 kg/m² / 37.4 lb/ft²
Rate of climb: 19.2 mps (3780 fpm)

Armament
- 1 × 23 mm HS.406 motorcannon with 90 rounds
- 4 × 12.7mm Hotchkiss in wings with 300 rounds each

Variants:
- VG.66: Equipped with a 37mm DEFA cannon in place of the 23mm gun.

Morane-Saulnier M.S.470 Vanneau ("Plover") trainer aircraft
OTL aircraft under development for 1941.

Statistics
- Crew: 2 (trainee pilot + instructor)
- Length: 9.05 m (30 ft 8 in)
- Wingspan: 10.65 m (35 ft 11 in)
- Height: 3.62 m (12 ft 11 in)
- Wing area: 17.30 m² (186.22 ft²)
- Empty weight: 2,351 kg (5,183 lb)
- Max Takeoff Weight: 3,125 kg (6,889 lb)
- Powerplant: 1× Gnome et Rhône 14M radial (522kW / 700HP) OR Hispano-Suiza 12Y-45 V-12 piston engine, 641 kW (860 hp)
- Armament: 2x.30cal MG (wings) for target training, 5lb or 10lb underwing smoke bombs for training

Performance
- Maximum speed: 445 km/h (277 mph)
- Max Range: 1500 km (932 miles)
- Service ceiling: 8500 m (27,900 ft)
- Rate of climb: Not available

Armamant
- 2 x MAC 1934 7.5mm wing-mounted machine-guns
- Light bombs

Variants
- MS.470: Original variant
- MS.472: Production variant equipped with Gnome-Rhone 14M-05 radial engine.
- MS.474: MS.472 variant equipped for aircraft carrier operations.
- MS.475: Version powered by Hispano-Suiza 12Y-45 inline engine.

Notes:
- 48x MS.472s acquired for pilot training by the Indochinese Air Defense Group.

Breguet-Nord Br.810 Bretagne
General characteristics
Capacity: 30-43
Length: 18.95 m (62 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 26.90 m (88 ft 2 in)
Height: 5.90 m (19 ft 4 in)
Wing area: 86.2 m² (927.5 sq ft)
Empty weight: 14,080 kg (31,030 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 20,100 kg (44,600 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Gnome-Rhône 18k Mistral Titan radial piston engine, 2,240 hp each

Performance
Maximum speed 560 km/h (348 mph)
Cruising speed: 422 km/h (229 knots, 263 mph)
Range: 1,140 km (617 nmi, 710 mi)
Service ceiling: 12,000 m (39,370 ft)

Development Timeline
- First Flight: February 26, 1940
- In Production: 1940
- In Service: Fall 1941

Notes
The Br.810T variant has a strengthened floor and a retractable cargo door. It can be used for cargo operations or dropping of paratroopers.

The Bloch MB.1050 Milan is a carrier-based fighter aircraft designed for service by the Aeronavale. The Milan was a development of Bloch's earlier radial-engined fighters, such as the MB.152 and MB.155, and was developed between 1937 and 1940, concurrently to but separately from the Bloch MB.157. Bloch and his design team developed the Milan to be one of the preeminent naval fighter planes in the world, and made every attempt to design a high-performance, rugged, reliable, long-ranged plane. At the time they entered service, the MB.1050 was the fastest carrier fighter in the world, and later versions maintained comparable performance figures to other carrier aircraft.

The Milan was additionally used as a land-based fighter in Indochina.

Quoted

Dassault MB.1050 Milan ("Kite") carrier fighter
Preproduction Aircraft

Specifications
Wingspan: 12.0m (39.4 feet)
Length: 10.4m (34 feet)
Height: 4.5m (14.8 feet)
Wing Area: 27.5 m² (296 ft²)
Empty Weight: 3,698.5 kg (8,154 lbs)
Loaded Weight: 5,034 kg (11099 lbs)
Max Takeoff Weight: 6,431.5 kg (14,181 lbs)
Engine: 1 × Gnome-Rhone Mistral Titan 18k (1,850hp / 1,379.5 kW takeoff)
Crew: 1 (pilot)

Performance
Max speed: 650 kph (403.9 mph)
Cruising speed: 563 kph (350 mph)
Combat Range: 1,327 km (825 miles)
Service ceiling: 10,900 m (35,800 ft)
Rate of climb: 15.9 mps (3129.6 fpm)

Quoted

Dassault MB.1050 Milan ("Kite") carrier fighter
Production Aircraft

Specifications
Wingspan: 12.0m (39.4 feet)
Length: 10.4m (34 feet)
Height: 4.5m (14.8 feet)
Wing Area: 27.5 m² (296 ft²)
Empty Weight: 3,698.5 kg (8,154 lbs)
Loaded Weight: 5,034 kg (11099 lbs)
Max Takeoff Weight: 6,431.5 kg (14,181 lbs)
Engine: 1 × Gnome-Rhone Mistral Titan 18k (2,240hp / 1,670.4 kW takeoff) with Turbomeca two-stage supercharger
Crew: 1 (pilot)

Performance
Max speed: 685 kph (370 knots / 425.6 mph)
Cruising speed: 563 kph (350 mph)
Combat Range: 1,327 km (825 miles)
Service ceiling: 10,900 m (35,800 ft)
Rate of climb: 15.9 mps (3129.6 fpm)
Wing Loading: 183 kg/m² (37.5 lb/ft²)
Power to Weight Ratio: 0.332 kW/kg (0.202 hp/lb)

Armament
- 4 × 20 mm cannon in wings with 925 rounds
- 2 × 750lb (340 kg) bombs

Variants:
- MB.1050: Standard carrier-based fighter (1941)
- MB.1050CN "Milan Noir": Carrier-based night-fighter variant of the MB.1050, equipped with SDA-5B air-intercept radar in small wing-pod
- MB.1051: Version with non-folding wings proposed for Armee de l'Aire.

Quoted

Dassault MB.1050D Milan Royal ("Red Kite") carrier fighter
Although Bloch's original MB.1050 Milan saw good success, with adoption by the French, Atlantean, and Brazilian naval air arms, Bloch continued pushing for higher levels of performance. The MB.1050D variant, which first flew in November 1941, saw a number of small modifications, including the use of spring-tab ailerons and the Breguet-designed SGM [1] engine management system, similar to that used on the Fw190 and the Br.890 Epaulard. One of the most significant alterations was the adoption of automatically-adjusting combat flaps, which adjusted the flaps automatically based on acceleration.

Specifications
Wingspan: 12.0m (39.4 feet)
Length: 10.4m (34 feet)
Height: 4.5m (14.8 feet)
Wing Area: 28.75 m² (309.5 ft²)
Empty Weight: 4,108 kg (9,057 lbs)
Loaded Weight: 5,545 kg (12,224.6 lbs)
Max Takeoff Weight: 7,015 kg (15,465 lbs)
Engine: 1 × Gnome-Rhone Mistral Titan 18k-41 (2,470hp / 1,842 kW takeoff) with Turbomeca two-stage supercharger
Crew: 1 (pilot)

Performance
Max speed: 708 kph (382 knots / 440 mph) at 6,000 meters
Cruising speed: 563 kph (350 mph)
Combat Range: 1,400 km (870 miles)
Service ceiling: 10,200 m (33,464 ft)
Rate of climb: 17 mps (3346.2 fpm)
Wing Loading: 192.8 kg/m² (39.5 lb/ft²)
Power to Weight Ratio: 0.332 kW/kg (0.202 hp/lb)

Armament
- 4 × 23 mm HS.406 cannon in wings with 90 rounds per gun or
- 6 × 13mm Hotchkiss in wings with 450 rounds per gun
- 2 × 750lb (340 kg) bombs or rockets

Variants:

Notes:
- Note [1]: SGM stands for Système de gestion de moteur, or System of Engine Management

Quoted

Bloch MB.1050G Milan Gargouille

General characteristics
Crew: One
Wingspan: 12.35 m (40.5 ft)
Length: 13.1 m (43 ft)
Height: 4.7 m (15.4 ft)
Wing area: 33.8 m² ( ft²)
Empty weight: 4,890 kg (10,781 lb)
Loaded weight: 7300 kg (16,094 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 8,282 kg (18,259 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Gnome-Rhone Typhon 21k-20 (2,900hp / kW takeoff) with Turbomeca two-stage supercharger with two contra-rotating 3-blade adjustable-pitch propellers

Performance
Maximum speed: 697 km/h (376 knots, 433 mph) at sea level; 750 km/h (405 knots, 466 mph) at 7,000 m
Cruise speed: 305 km/h (165 knots, 190 mph)
Combat radius: 2,197 km (1,365 mi)
Ferry range: 3,102 km (1,927 mi)
Service ceiling: 11,250 m (36,909 ft)
Rate of climb: 18.7 m/s ( ft/min)
Power to Weight Ratio: 0.29 kW/kg (0.175 hp/lb)
Wing Loading: 233 kg/m² (47.8 lb/ft²)

Armament
Guns: 4 × 23 mm DEFA cannon with 125 rounds per gun
Bombs: 2,200 kg (4,850 lb) of payload on four external hardpoints and an internal bay; may include 2 × 1,040 kg aerial torpedoes, 16×105mm Brandt T-10 unguided rockets, 2× underbelly drop tanks, or 2× rocket pods with 18×37mm rockets each

Breguet-Nord N.1510 Normandie
The Nord Normandie is a long-distant transport designed to carry cargo and paratroops. Some initial sketches of the Normandie began at Potez in 1936, and after the merger of Potez, CAMS, and ANF Les Mureaux, the project was inherited by Societie Nord. Much of the work from 1937 onward, however, was undertaken by the design staff brought in from CAMS, who adopted the wing design intended for an unbuilt flying boat. This resulted in a particularly strong wing design with high lift and and corrosion resistance. Despite the early start, the project did not receive a high priority until late 1937, when the French armed forces became involved in quashing the Rif-Atlas Revolt. Existing transports proved highly unsatisfactory, and in some cases downright unsafe for paratroop operations, and were insufficient in quantity to meet the French Army's needs. An immediate high-priority request for new aircraft was made, and Society Nord's rapid response met with approval.

Initial studies undertaken in 1938 by the Armee de l'Aire indicated a twin-engine aircraft with a load of twenty-eight paratroopers would be ideal, but Nord's engineers conducted their own survey of French paratroop officers and cargo aircraft pilots, and proposed a larger four-engined aircraft with a load of forty paratroopers. Nord proposed several alterations to the specifications laid out by the Armee de l'Aire, most notably the use of two-wheel tricycle landing gear, a high-mounted wing, a clamshell rear door for loading and unloading cargo, and an emphasis on short-and-rough field performance. The Armee de l'Aire did not immediately approve of Nord's disregard for their design parameters, but reconsidered after reviewing Nord's quarter-scale mockups in March 1939.

A prototype, the N.1500, was prepared and first flew on October 12th, 1940, but flight trials uncovered a number of issues which resulted in a drawn-out testing period. As the landing roll-out proved to be much longer than expected, the wing was modified with leading-edge slats and double-slotted Fowler flaps to improve low-speed lift. A twin rudder replaced the tall single rudder, the fuselage and wings were lengthened, and the main gear was re-situated to provide better balance on the ground. The single clamshell door on the rear end of the aircraft, which could not be opened in flight, was replaced with two powered side-folding clamshell doors which permitted the airdropping of cargo and vehicles. As cargo could be easily airdropped from the new aft door, the wide side door, identified by the Armee de l'Aire as a structural weakness, was replaced with a smaller door for personnel only. The two inboard Gnome-Rhone 14R radial engines were equipped with reversible-pitch propellers, allowing the aircraft to back up without ground-handling equipment. The engines could also be reversed on landing, decreasing the roll-out distance.

The long development time of the Normandie nearly doomed the aircraft on several occasions, as both the Armee de Terre and the Armee de l'Aire were impatient with the project's lengthy gestation time; they had both expected Nord to begin production in late 1940. The Armee de Terre eventually ordered a dozen cargo versions of the Breguet Br.810 Bretagne airliner in 1941 as a stopgap measure. However, the Bretagne could not compete against the Normandie in terms of troops or cargo carried, had significantly less overall range, and could not airdrop significant amounts of cargo as the Normandie could do.

Specifications
Crew: 4 (pilot, copilot/navigator, radio operator, flight engineer)
Capacity: 45 paratroopers, 60 troops, or 10,150kg (22,377 lbs) of cargo
Length: 28.25 m (92 ft 8 in)
Wingspan: 37.5m (123 ft)
Height: 7.315 m (24 ft 7 in)
Wing Area: 166 m² (1,786.8 ft²)
Empty Weight: 17,800 kg (39,242 lb)
Loaded Weight: 24,416 kg (53,828 lb)
Max Takeoff Weight: 27,725 kg (61,123 lb)
Powerplant: 4 × Gnome-Rhone 14R, 1,750hp each, with 4-blade propellers

Performance
Max Speed: 425km/h (264 mph)
Cruise Speed: 380 km/h (236.1 mph )
Range: 4,800km (2,982.6 mi) at 6,000m with payload
Service Ceiling: 7,600 m (25,000 ft)
Rate of Climb: 6.5 m/s (21.3 ft/s)
Max Wingloading: 147 kg/m² (30.125 lb/ft²)

Armament (Some Versions only)
- 1 × 23 mm HS.406 in tail
- 1 × 12.7mm Hotchkiss MG in nose

Special Notes
- Tricycle landing gear with double wheels
- Rear double-fold clamshell doors permit loading of light vehicles on the ground, and airdropping of vehicles in flight
- Twin tail
- High mounted wings with leading edge slats
- Inward engines have reversible pitch allowing the aircraft to back up on the ground, or reverse power to shorten the landing roll-out.

Arsenal VB.20 Rafale
This aircraft was the long-delayed total redesign of the Arsenal VB.10, re-engined with the Hispano-Suiza 24Z engine. The plane would enter production in the middle of 1942 to serve as a long-ranged high-altitude escort fighter, although its high-altitude performance made it useful as a fast reconnaissance aircraft and a high-altitude interceptor as well.

General characteristics
Wingspan: 14.5 m (47 ft 7 in)
Length: 11.2 m (36 ft 9 in)
Height: 4.8 m (15 ft 9 in)
Wing Area: 32 m² (345 ft²)
Empty weight: 3,600 kg (7,937 lbs)
Gross weight: 4,550 kg (10,031 lbs)
Max Takeoff Weight: 5,700 kg (12,566 lbs)
Wing Loading (Gross): 178.125 kg/m (36.4 lb/ft)
Power to Weight Ratio: 0.35 kW/kg (0.21 hp/lb)
Engine: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 24H (2,000 kw / 2,682 hp at 5,000m) driving two three-bladed contra-rotating propellers
Crew: 1 (pilot)

Performance
Max speed: 730 kph (453.6 mph) at 8,000m
Cruising speed: 525 kph (326.2 mph)
Range: 1,700 km (1,056 miles)
Service ceiling: 11,600 m (38,057 ft)
Rate of climb: 22 mps (4330 fpm)

Armament
- 4 × Hispano- Suiza HS-406 23 mm gun swith 160 rounds per gun
- 10 × 105mm rockets

Variants
- VB.20: Original production model with HS-24H-9 engine.
- VB.23: Improved production with HS-24H-12 engine, capable of 750kph at 8,000m.

Pilatus P-2
These aircraft were acquired from Switzerland as basic and intermediate trainers.

General characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 9.07 m (29 ft 9 in)
Wingspan: 11 m (36 ft 1 in)
Height: 2.70 m (8 ft 10¼ in)
Wing area: 17 m2 (182.99 ft2)
Empty weight: 1380 kg (3040 lb)
Gross weight: 1800 kg (3970 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Dietrich-Lorraine DL-410 inverted V air-cooled engine, 347 kW (465 hp)

Performance:
Maximum speed: 340 km/h (211 mph)
Cruising speed: 306 km/h (190 mph)
Range: 865 km (537 miles)
Service ceiling: 6600 m (21,654 ft)
Rate of climb: 6.5 m/s (1280 ft/min)

Breguet-Nord Br.900 Massette
The Br.900 Massette was based heavily on the preceding Breguet-Latecoere Épaulard attack aircraft, which entered service early in 1941 and provided the French Navy with one of its first modern strike aircraft. The Armee de l'Aire requested, at about the same time, a ground-attack strike aircraft capable of both dive-bombing and rocket attacks, replacing the earlier LN.401, Breguet 693, and Morane-Saulnier MS.440 strike aircraft. Breguet modified the Épaulard design with the updated GR-18k-44 engine, and removed the radio operator-gunner and bombardier-navigator positions to exchange weight for substantial amounts of protective armour for the pilot's position. The aircraft retained the distinctive X-pattern tail stinger dive brakes and three-rudder tail assembly of the Épaulard, and retained the carrier-landing capability. The wings, although of similar dimensions to the Épaulard wings, were of a completely new design, with four 23mm cannon as well as mounting points for rockets and bombs. The completed aircraft, in fact, carried more payload than a LeO-600 bomber, although the weight was distributed between more numerous small bombs carried underbelly and on the wings. In order to disguise its naval heritage from the Armee de l'Aire, the plane received a brand-new designation: the Massette ("Petit Sledgehammer").

Although the prototype, modified from a production Épaulard, flew in October 1941, the Massette was not ordered by the Armee de l'Aire until March 1942, and did not enter production until June. The aircraft's similarity to the Épaulard proved beneficial as the two planes shared a large number of parts, including landing gear, dive brakes, and the SGM engine management system, lowering the final cost of the aircraft.

Specifications
Wingspan: 14.5 m (47.6 feet)
Length: 13.7 m (44.9 feet)
Height: 4.85 m (15.9 feet)
Wing Area: 38 m² (409 ft²)
Empty Weight: 5,052 kg (11,138 lbs)
Loaded Weight: 7,279 kg (16,047 lbs)
Max Takeoff Weight: 8,938 kg (19,705 lbs)
Engine: 1 × Gnome-Rhone Mistral Titan 18k-44 (2,650hp / 1,984 kW takeoff) with Turbomeca two-stage supercharger
Crew: 1 (pilot)

Performance
Max speed: 535 kph (289 knots / 332 mph) at 6,000 meters
Cruise speed: 325 kph (201.9 mph)
Ferry Range: 2,053.5 km (1,276 miles)
Combat Range: 1460 km (907 miles)
Service ceiling: 8,575 m (28,133 ft)
Rate of climb: 14.5 mps (2850 fpm)
Wing Loading: 191.6 kg/m² (44.37 lb/ft²) at loaded weight
Power to Weight Ratio: 0.272 kW/kg (0.165 hp/lb) at loaded weight

Armament
- 4 × Hispano- Suiza HS-406 23 mm guns with 160 rounds per gun
- 2,800 kg external ordnance on three centerline and eight wing hardpoints

Farman F.420 Libérateur
License-built Consolidated B-24

Specifications
Crew: 11 (bombardier, navigator, pilot, co-pilot, chin turret, top turret, radio operator, 2 waist gunners, ball turret, tail gunner)
Length: 22.73 m (74 ft 7 in)
Wingspan: 33.53 m (110 ft 0 in)
Height: 9.17 m (30 ft 1 in)
Wing area: 97.4 m² (1,048 ft²)
Empty weight: 13,000 kg (28,660 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 30,100 kg (66,359 lb)
Powerplant: 4 × Gnome-Rhone 14R, 1,750hp each, with 4-blade propellers

Performance
Maximum speed: 495 km/h (307.6 mph, 267.3 kn)
Cruise speed: 175 mph (121 kn, 224 km/h)
Range: 4,400 km (2,734 mi)
Service ceiling: 8,500 m (28,000 ft)

Armament
Guns: 12 × 12.7mm Hotchkiss machine guns in six turrets
Bombs: Up to 12,800 lb (5,800 kg) of bombs, mines, or torpedoes

Notes
The F.420 is a Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer with supercharged Gnome-Rhone engines, French-manufactured avionics, and Hotchkiss MGs. Compared to the Privateer, the F.420 has less range but more speed and a higher service ceiling.

Morane-Saulnier MS.730 Alcyon


Specifications
Crew: 2 or 3
Length: 9.32 m (30 ft 7 in)
Wingspan: 11.28 m (37 ft 0 in)
Height: 2.42 m (7 ft 11¼ in)
Wing area: 21.90 m² (235.74 ft²)
Empty weight: 1260 kg (2778 lb)
Gross weight: 1670 kg (3682 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Dietrich-Lorraine DL-10 (licensed Argus As-10) inverted inline piston engine, 179 kW (240 hp)

Performance
Maximum speed: 260 km/h (162 mph)
Cruising speed: 230 km/h (143 mph)
Range: 920 km (572 miles)
Endurance: 4 hours 40 min
Service ceiling: 4800 m (15,750 ft)
Rate of climb: 5.0 m/s (985 ft/min)

Lioré et Olivier LeO-600 Tornade

In the early 1940s, the Armee de l'Aire depended on several different types of medium bombers, mainly the Lioré et Olivier LeO-45 series, but including the Amiot 354, the Farman F.380, and its closely-derivative Hanriot H.250. This range of bombers each had different strengths and weaknesses inherent to the type, and resisted attempts to streamline production. The LeO-45, while technologically the least impressive, received the most production due to its greater simplicity, and if it had higher performance, it would have made an excellent medium bomber for standardization. However, the LeO-45's performance, particularly by 1940 standards, was increasingly lackluster, with speed barely passing five hundred kilometers per hour at full power, and only fifteen hundred kilograms of stores. The competing Hanriot H.250 bomber carried even less payload but compensated somewhat with a much higher speed and high-altitude performance.

Changing policy in the late 1930s and early 1940s focused on the principles of standardization and production costs, and by 1941, the Armee de l'Aire demanded a high-performance medium bomber suitable for mass production, but capable of replacing the LeO-45, the Hanriot H.250, the Amiot 354, and the Farman F.380. As Farman struggled with the F.400 Ourse heavy bomber, and Amiot lacked a talented and well-connected chief designer as well as a high-capacity factory, the task largely fell on Hanriot and Lioré et Olivier. Hanriot offered a modestly improved version of their existing H.250 Foudre, while Lioré et Olivier offered an all-new bomber design dubbed the LeO-600, although the aircraft was billed as a 'major redesign' of the LeO-45.

In many ways, the LeO-600 was not a medium bomber design at all, as Lioré et Olivier designed it to undertake secondary roles as a heavy fighter, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft. Lioré et Olivier was reportedly inspired in part by the success of the Petlyakov Pe-2 and Pe-3 as well as the de Havilland Mosquito. Unlike either of those aircraft, however, the LeO-600 featured a pressurized cabin for high-altitude operations, with the crew of three seated closely in the same general vicinity.

The Tornade first flew in late 1941 and was tested through 1942 by the Armee de l'Aire in order to refine the design and prepare it for mass production. The aircraft was finally ordered in October 1942 for initial production starting in February 1943.

Specifications
Crew: 3 (pilot, navigator-bombardier, radio operator-gunner)
Length: 16.745 m (54 ft 11 in)
Wingspan: 22.1 m (72 ft 6 in)
Height: 4.3 m (14 ft 1 in)
Wing area: 59.4 m² ( ft²)
Empty weight: 11,000 kg (24,250 lb)
Loaded weight: 15,154 kg (33,409 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 15,775 kg (34,778 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × supercharged Gnome-Rhone 18k air-cooled R18 engines, 2,240hp (1,670.4 kW) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 607 kph (377 mph, 328 knots) at 9,150 m (30,000 ft) with external stores; 640 kph (398 mph, 345 knots) with boost
Cruise speed: 475 kph (295 mph, 256 knots)
Range: 3,280 km (2,038 mi, 1771 nmi)
Service ceiling: 11,825 m (38,800 ft)
Rate of climb: 6.15 m/s (1210.6 ft/min)

Armament
- 2×23 mm HS.406 cannon in nose
- 2×12.7mm Hotchkiss MG in remote-control tail turret
- 2,400 kg (5,291 lb) bombs