| Breguet 470 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Airliner |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Breguet Aviation |
| First flight | 5 March 1936 |
| Number built | 1 |
The Breguet 470 Fulgur was a French airliner of the 1930s. Only a single example of the Fulgur, a twin-engined monoplane was built, this being sold to the Spanish Republican Air Force during the Spanish Civil War.
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In the early 1930s, the French company Breguet Aviation started design of a twin-engined transport aircraft, sharing the wing design with the Breguet 460[1] military multi-purpose aircraft and the Breguet 462 bomber,[2][3] a mock-up of the initial design, designated Breguet 46T, was displayed at the 1934 Paris Air Show.[4] The new design, named Fulgur, and re-designated Breguet 470 T12 before the prototype was completed, was a low-winged monoplane of all-metal construction, accommodating 12 passengers. It had a retractable tailwheel undercarriage and was powered by two Gnome-Rhône 14K radial engines.[2][4]
The Fulgur made its first flight on 5 March 1936, its two powerful engines giving a maximum speed of 385 km/h (239 mph), leading it to be described as the fastest commercial transport in the world.[2]
The prototype Breguet 470 was entered in the 1936 Paris–Saigon–Paris race, with the hope of winning a large cash prize (1,800,000 Francs), and with a promise that the winner would be purchased by the French Air Ministry, setting out on 25 October,[5] reaching India before having to withdraw due to a mechanical fault. It was re-engined with more powerful, 937 hp (699 kW) Gnome-Rhône 14N radials in 1937 before being entered into that years Istres–Damascus–Paris race, finishing fifth in a time of 21 hours 3 min, with de-militarised Savoia-Marchetti SM.79s bombers occupying the first three places and a de Havilland Comet racer finishing fourth.[2][6]
No further production followed, and the prototype was sold to the Spanish Republican government, who used it as a transport during the Spanish Civil War, using it mainly for flights between Barcelona and Toulouse, escaping to France following the Nationalist victory, the aircraft then being scrapped.[2][7]
Data from Plane Facts:The unique Fulgur.[2]
General characteristics
Performance
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