Caudron C.714
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Caudron C.714 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Finnish C.714 | |
| Type | Fighter |
| Manufacturer | Caudron-Renault |
| Designed by | Marcel Riffard |
| Maiden flight | 18 July 1936 (C.710) |
| Introduced | 1940 |
| Retired | 1949 (Finland) |
| Primary users | Armee de l'Air Finland |
| Produced | 1939-1940 |
| Number built | approximately 90 |
The C.710 were a series of fighter aircraft developed by Caudron-Renault for the French Armée de l'Air just prior to the start of World War II. One version, the C.714, saw limited production, and were assigned to Polish pilots flying in France after the fall of Poland in 1939. A small number were also supplied to Finland.
Contents |
[edit] Design and development
The original specification that led to the C.710 series was offered in 1936 in order to quickly raise the number of modern aircraft in French service, by supplying a "light fighter" of wooden construction that could be built rapidly in large numbers without upsetting the production of existing types. The contract resulted in three designs, the Arsenal VG-30, the Bloch MB-700, and the C.710. Prototypes of all three were ordered.
The original C.710 model was an angular looking design developed from an earlier racing design series. One common feature to all of the Caudron line was an extremely long nose that set the cockpit far back on the aircraft. The profile was the result of using the 450 hp (336 kW) Renault 12R-01 12-cylinder inline engine, which had a small cross section and was fairly easy to streamline, but very long. The landing gear was fixed and spatted, and the vertical stabilizer was a seemingly World War I-era semi-circle instead of a more common triangular design. Armament consisted of a Hispano-Suiza 20 mm HS-9 cannon under each wing in a small pod, with an option for a third firing through the propeller spinner.
The C.710 prototype first flew on 18 July 1936. Despite its small size, it showed great potential and was able to reach 470 km/h in testing. Further development continued with the C.711 and C.712 with more powerful engines, while the C.713 which flew in December 1937 introduced retractable landing gear and a more conventional triangular vertical stabilizer.
The final evolution of the 710 series was the C.714 Cyclone , a variation on the C.713 which first flew in April 1938. The primary changes were a new wing airfoil profile, a strengthened fuselage, and instead of two cannons the fighter had four 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine guns in the wing gondolas. It was powered by the newer 12R-03 version of the engine, which introduced a new carburettor that could operate in negative g.
The Armee de l'Air ordered 20 C.714s on 5 November 1938, with options for a further 180. Production started at a Renault factory in the Paris suburbs in the summer of 1939 [1].
Other projected versions were the C.720 trainer with a 100 or 220 hp (75 or 164 kW) engine, the C.760 fighter with a 750 hp Isotta-Fraschini Delta engine, and the C.770 fighter with an 800 hp (597 kW) Renault V-engine. None of these reached production.
[edit] Operational history
Deliveries did not start until January 1940. After a series of tests with the first examples, it became apparent that the design was seriously flawed. Although light and fast, its wooden construction did not permit for a better engine to be mounted, which seriously limited its climb rate and manoeuvrability with the result that the Caudron was withdrawn from active service in February 1940.
In March, the initial production order was reduced to 90, as the performance was not considered good enough to warrant further production contracts. Fifty were diverted to Finland to fight in the Winter War.
On 18 May, 35 Caudrons were delivered to the Polish Warsaw Squadron - the Groupe de Chasse polonaise I/145, stationed at the Mions airfield. After just 23 sorties, adverse opinion of the fighter was confirmed by frontline pilots who expressed concerns that it was seriously underpowered and was no match for contempory German fighters.
On 25 May, only a week after it was introduced, French Minister of War Guy la Chambre ordered all C710s to be withdrawn from active service. However, since the French authorities had no other aircraft to offer, the Polish pilots ignored the order and continued to fly the Caudrons. Despite flying a fighter hopelessly outdated compared to the Messerschmitt Me 109E, the Polish pilots scored 12 confirmed and three unconfirmed kills in three battles between 8 June and 11 June, losing nine in the air and nine more on the ground. Interestingly, among the planes shot down were four Dornier Do 17 bombers, but also three Messerschmitt Bf 109 and five Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighters.
The Caudron fighter was also used by the Polish training squadron based in Bron near Lyon. Although the pilots managed to disperse several bombing raids, they did not score any kills although they did not lose any machines. By the end of June when France fell, only 53 production machines had been delivered (although the number varies, 98 is another common figure).
Despite a larger number being diverted to Finland, only six Caudron C.714s were received in a semi-assembled state. An additional ten were on the dockside when France surrendered, subsequently, further shipments were halted. After assembly, operations in Finland were limited to test flights and, in September 1941, combat flights with the fighters were prohibited, although the aircraft were maintained on the roster until they were retired and scrapped on 30 December 1949. One example, CA-556 was transferred to the maintenance personnel school as an instructional airframe.
[edit] Specifications (Caudron C.714)
Data from The Complete Book of Fighters[2]
General characteristics
- Crew: One
- Length: 8.63 m (28 ft 3⅞ in)
- Wingspan: 8.97 m (29 ft 5⅛ in)
- Height: 2.87 m (9 ft 5 in)
- Wing area: 12.5 m² (135 ft²)
- Empty weight: 1395 kg (3,075 lb)
- Loaded weight: 1880 kg (4,145 lb)
- Useful load: kg (kg)
- Max takeoff weight: kg (lb)
- Powerplant: 1× Renault 12R 03 inverted V-12, 373 kW (500 hp)
Performance
- Never exceed speed: km/h (knots, mph)
- Maximum speed: 460 km/h (249 knots, 286 mph) at 5000 m (16400 ft)
- Cruise speed: km/h (knots, mph)
- Stall speed: km/h (knots, mph)
- Range: 900 km (486 nm, 559 mi)
- Service ceiling: m (ft)
- Rate of climb: m/s (ft/min)
- Wing loading: kg/m² (lb/ft²)
- Power/mass: W/kg (hp/lb)
- Climb to 4000 m: 9.66 min
Armament
- Four 7.5 mm machine guns
[edit] Operators
[edit] References
- ^ Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War- Fighters Volume 1. London: Macdonald, 1960. ISBN 0-356-01445-2.
- ^ Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon. The Complete Book of Fighters. New York: Smithmark, 1994. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8.
[edit] External links
| Related content | |
|---|---|
| Related development | |
| Similar aircraft | SAI-207 - SAI-403 Dardo |
| Designation series | |
| Related lists | List of aircraft of the Armée de l'Air - List of fighter aircraft |
Timeline of aviation
Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines
Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft
Notable military accidents and incidents · Notable airline accidents and incidents · Famous aviation-related deaths
Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft
