Breguet 27
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| 270 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Reconnaissance aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Breguet |
| Maiden flight | 23 February 1929 |
| Primary user | Armée de l'Air |
| Number built | over 150 |
The Breguet 27 was a 1930s French biplane military reconnaissance aircraft.
Contents |
[edit] Design and development
The Breguet 27 was designed in response to a 1928 request for proposals by the Armée de l'Air. Breguet submitted a large all-metal sesquiplane with an unusual fuselage that ended abruptly aft of the two open cockpits. The empennage was mounted on a boom behind the fuselage.
The prototype exhibited mediocre performance during flight trials. Nonetheless the military placed orders for 85 aircraft in 1930 and 45 in 1932, this latter batch with a more powerful engine fitted. Two high-altitude reconnaissance versions were also built as the Breguet 33, but these did not lead to further production.
[edit] Operational history
Breguet 27s continued in military service through the outbreak of World War II, still equipping three Groupes at the time of the initial German offensive. After they began suffering combat losses, the Army withdrew all remaining examples from service.
The two Breguet 33 high-altitude reconnaissance prototypes were used to make significant long-distance flights. The first aircraft was flown from Paris to Hanoi in January 1932 by Paul Codos and Henri Robida in 7 days, 9 hours and 50 minutes, and back again in just 3 days 4 hours and 17 minutes. The second aircraft (christened Joé III) was flown by Maryse Hilsz on a tour of Asia, visiting Calcutta, Saigon, Hanoi, and Tokyo before returning to Paris via Saigon, eventually covering around 35,000 km (22,000 miles). Hilsz also won the 1936 Coupe Héléne Boucher flying a Breguet 27 at an average speed of 277 km/h (172 mph).
[edit] Variants
- Breguet 27
- Bre.270
- Prototypes (10 built) and initial production version (143 built) powered by Hispano-Suiza 12H engine.
- Bre.271
- Version powered by the Hispano-Suiza 12Y engine, 45 built.
- Bre.272TOE (Théatres des Operations Extérieures)
- Version optimised for harsh colonial conditions with Renault 9Fas radial engine, 1 built.
- Bre.273
- Reconnaissance-bomber variant for export, 18 built.
- Bre.274
- Version powered by the Gnome-Rhône 14K engine, raced by Maryse Hilsz in 1936, 1 built.
- Breguet 33
- Bre.330
- High-altitude version of Breguet 27 with Hispano-Suiza 12N engine, one later redesignated Bre.27S, 2 built.
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- Bre.330.01
- Second Bre.330 prototype optimised for long-duration flight.
[edit] Operators
- Brazilian Air Force received small batch of Bre.270 aircraft.
- Chinese Nationalist Air Force received 6 Bre.273 aircraft.
FranceFrance
- Armée de l'Air received 85 Bre.270 designated Bre.270A.2 and 45 Bre.271 designated Bre.271A.2.
- Venezuelan Air Force operated 3 Bre.270 aircraft and 15 Bre.273 aircraft.
[edit] Specifications (Bre.270A.2)
General characteristics
- Crew: Two, pilot and observer
- Length: 9.76 m (32 ft 0 in)
- Wingspan: 17.01 m (55 ft 10 in)
- Height: 3.55 m (11 ft 6 in)
- Wing area: 50.0 m² (535 ft²)
- Empty weight: 1,756 kg (3,871 lb)
- Gross weight: 2,393 kg (5,276 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 12Hb, 373 kW (500 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 236 km/h (147 mph)
- Range: 1,000 km (620 miles)
- Service ceiling: 7,900 m (25,920 ft)
- Rate of climb: 3.4 m/s (670 ft/min)
Armament
- 1 × fixed, forward-firing .303 Vickers machine gun
- 2 × trainable, rearward-firing .303 Lewis guns for observer
- 120 kg (264 lb) of bombs
[edit] References
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 199.
- World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing, File 890 Sheet 81.
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
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