Amiot 354
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| 354 | |
|---|---|
 Amiot 351 1/72 scale model by Johan De Wolf |
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| Type | Bomber |
| Manufacturer | Amiot |
| Introduced | 1940 |
| Primary user | Armée de l'Air |
The Amiot 354 was the latest in a series of fast, twin-engined bombers which fought with the Armée de l'Air in limited numbers during the Battle of France.
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[edit] Development
The Amiot 350 series originated in the same 1934 requirement as its rival the Lioré et Olivier LeO 451. Derived from the Amiot 341 mail-carrier, the Amiot 340 prototype was involved in a propaganda misinformation flight to Berlin in August of 1938 to convince the Germans that the French employed modern bombers. Though 130 machines were ordered by the French government that year, production delays and ordered modifications ensured that September 1939 saw no delivered aircraft. Eventually, the ordered number of this very modern aircraft reached 830, though ultimately only eighty machines were received by the Air Ministry. The main variant was the twin-tailed 351, however, due to various delays the single-tailed 354 was accepted into service as an interim type.
The Amiot 351 was planned to mount 1 x 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine gun in nose and ventral positions and 1x 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon in the dorsal position. Due to various technical issues with the armament installation, many aircraft went to operational units with only a single light machine gun in the dorsal position.
[edit] Operational history
In May 1940, the Amiot 351/354 was in the process of equipping just two bomber groupes: GB 1/21 and GB II/21 based at Avignon. Though 200 were in the final stages of construction, only 35 were ready for flight. This situation was exacerbated by the fact that the Amiot 351/354 was constructed in three separate factories, two of which were later bombed by the Germans. On May 16, 1940, the several Amiot 351/354 carried out armed reconnaissance missions over Maastricht in the Netherlands - the first combat mission conducted by planes of this type.
By June, the Amiot 351/354 was also delivered for GB I/34 and GB II/34, neither ever flying them in combat. At that time, all Amiot 351/354 were based on the northern front. Three had been lost in combat, 10 in training accidents. All aircraft were ordered to evacuate to Africa on June 17, 37 surviving the trip. As their numbers were too few to effectively engage the Italians, they planes were sent back to Metropolitan France and their groupes disbanded in August 1940.
Five Amiot 351/354 continued to be used as a mail carriers after the Battle of France. Four Amiot 351/354 were commandeered by the Luftwaffe as transports, two found service in the 1./KG200 special service geschwader.
Engines taken for use with the Messerschmitt Me 323.
[edit] Variants
- Amiot 340.01: 2x 920 hp (686 kW) Gnome-et-Rhône 14P, single tail prototype (1)
- Amiot 351.01: Amiot 351 prototype.
- Amiot 351: 2x 950 hp (707 kW) Gnome-Rhône 14N 38/39, twin tail (17)(This number may be low)
- Amiot 350: 351 re-engined with 2x 920 hp (686 kW) Hispano-Suiza 12Y 28/29 engines (1)
- Amiot 352: 351 re-engined with 2x 1100 hp (820 kW) Hispano-Suiza 12Y 50/51 engines (1)
- Amiot 353: 351 re-engined with 2x 1030 hp (768 kW) Rolls-Royce Merlin III engines (1)
- Amiot 354: single-tail variant, 2x 1070 hp (798 kW) Gnome-et-Rhône 14N 48/49 (45) (This number is probably low)
- Amiot 355.01: 351 re-engined with 2x 1200 hp (895 kW) Gnome-et-Rhone 14R 2/3 engines (1)
- Amiot 356.01: 354 re-engined with 2x 1130 hp (842 kW) Rolls-Royce Merlin X engines (1)
- Amiot 357: high altitude prototype with pressurized cabin, 2x 1200 hp (895 kW) Hispano-Suiza 12Z 89 turbocharged engines (1)
- Amiot 358: 351 re-engined post-war with 2x 1200 hp (895 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1830 engines (1)
- Amiot 370: single-tail racer with 2x 860 hp (642 kW) Hispano-Suiza 12Yjrs/Ykrs engines, developed specifically for (later cancelled) Paris-New York race (1)
The Amiot 351/354 saw service with the Armée de l'Air (80?)
Total production (including prototypes): (86?)
[edit] Operators
[edit] Specifications (354)
This aircraft article is missing some (or all) of its specifications. If you have a source, you can help Wikipedia by adding them.General characteristics
- Crew: Four (pilot, co-pilot, navigator, bombardier)
- Length: 14.5 m (37 ft 7 in)
- Wingspan: 22.75 m (74 ft 11 in)
- Height: 4.06 m (13 ft 5 in)
- Wing area: 67 m² (721 ft²)
- Empty weight: 4,270 kg (9,390 lb)
- Loaded weight: 11,285 kg (24,827 lb)
- Powerplant: 2× Gnome-Rhône 14N48/49 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, 780 kW (1,044 hp) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 480 km/h (260 knots, 300 mph)
- Range: 3,500 km (1,890 nm, 2,100 mi)
- Service ceiling 10,000 m (33,000 ft)
Armament
- 3 × 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine guns or 2 × 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine guns and 1 × 20 mm cannon
- 800-1,250 kg (1,760-2,750 lb) of bombs
[edit] See also
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
[edit] References
- Breffort, Dominique & Jouineau, André. French Aircraft from 1939 to 1942
- Weal, Elke C., Weal, John A., Barker, Richard F. Combat Aircraft of World War Two
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