Breguet Atlantique
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Br.1150 Atlantique | |
|---|---|
 Breguet Atlantique of the German Navy. |
|
| Type | Patrol aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Breguet |
| Maiden flight | 21 October 1961 |
| Status | Active service |
| Primary users | France Germany Netherlands Italy |
| Number built | 87 Atlantique 1 28 Atlantique 2 |
| Unit cost | >$35 Million[1] |
The Breguet Br.1150 Atlantique is a long-range reconnaissance aircraft, primarily designed for use over the sea. It is used in several NATO countries as a reconnaissance and patrol aircraft as well as anti-submarine aircraft. This French built plane is also capable of carrying air to ground missiles.
Contents |
[edit] Design and development
The Breguet Br.1150 Atlantique is the only sea-reconnaissance airplane specifically designed and built for this purpose, instead of refitting or modifying existing designs. Though the primary mission of the Atlantique is anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, its secondary role includes search and rescue, mine laying and detection and long-range maritime surveillance.[2]
The Atlantic/Atlantique can carry either nine guided ASW torpedoes such as Mk 46 Torpedo or 12 depth charges or four AM.39 Exocet Anti-Ship missiles in its internal bomb bay. German Atlantiques usually carried Mk 46s only and flew unarmed during the last years of their service.
[edit] Operational history
The Royal Netherlands Navy lost 3 out of 9 aircraft in a series of engine failures over the North Sea, resulting in the grounding of the type and its eventual replacement by the P-3 Orion. The German Marineflieger never lost a single plane from 1963 to 2005. Ironically, the German Atlantics were replaced by the same P-3 Orion airframes the Netherlands had bought in the 1980s to replace the Atlantique, however meanwhile these aircraft were signficantly modernized and upgraded. In 1999 a Pakistan Navy Atlantique was downed by the Indian Air Force in the Atlantique Incident. Several German Atlantics have been donated to museums, including the Luftwaffenmuseum and the Dutch Air Force Museum, Soesterberg, Netherlands Airforce Museum.
[edit] Operators
- German Navy - Replaced all ASW aircraft by ex-Dutch P-3 Orion in 2005, while the remaining SIGINT version will be replaced by the EuroHawks.
- Italian Navy - Flown by pilots from the Italian Air Force but commanded and crewed by Italian Navy.
- Royal Netherlands Navy - Replaced by the P-3 Orion.
[edit] Specifications
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: 13
- Length: 31.75 m (104 ft 2 in)
- Wingspan: 36.3 m (119 ft 1 in)
- Height: 11.33 m (37 ft 2 in)
- Empty weight: 18,500 kg (40,800 lb)
- Loaded weight: 24,000 kg (40,785 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 43,500 kg (95,900 lb)
- Powerplant: 2× Rolls-Royce Tyne 2-shaft turboprops, 5,730 shp (4,270 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 650 km/h (350 knots, 405 mph)
- Range: 8,000 km (4,300 nm, 5,000 mi)
- Power/mass: 360 W/kg (0.22 hp/lb)
Armament
- Up to 3,500 kg (5,500 lb), including torpedoes, depth charges, mines, bombs and/or buoys
[edit] References
- ^ Defence Journal of Pakistan referring to the cost of the airplane with reference to its downing in the Atlantique Incident
- ^ Naval Technology
[edit] See also
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
- List of military reconnaissance aircraft
- List of military aircraft of France
- List of military aircraft of Germany
|
||||||||||||||
