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Breguet 521
The Breguet Br.521 Bizerte was a long-range military reconnaissance flying boat built by the French aviation company Breguet.
Contents
Development
A biplane of all-metal construction, with three engines mounted in nacelles between the upper and lower wings, the aircraft was a development of the Breguet S.8/2 Calcutta, which itself was a militarised licenced version of the British Short S.8 Calcutta. It was built to meet a French Navy specification for a long-range flying boat issued in 1932, with the prototype first flying on 11 September 1933.[1]
A series of small orders for production Bizertes were placed, starting with an order for three in 1934, with the last order, for 12 (nine of which were later cancelled) being placed in September 1939.[2].
In 1935 a civil version - the Breguet Br.530 Saigon - was produced.
Operational history
After the first flight in September 1933, 34 aircraft were produced, which served with five squadrons of the French Navy from 1935 until 1940. Two squadrons remained in service with the Vichy Navy after the armistice.[3] When Vichy France was occupied by the Germans following the Allied invasion of North Africa in November 1942, several were captured and operated by the Luftwaffe as Air-Sea Rescue aircraft.[4] Following the Allied Invasion of Southern France in August 1944, one of the Luftwaffe Bizertes was discovered by French forces and used for communications duties until spares ran out [4].
Variants
- Breguet 521.01
- Prototype.
- Breguet 521 Bizerte
- Long-range flying boat
- Breguet 522
- Re-engined version of Breguet 521. Three Hispano-Suiza 14 AA radial engines. One built.
- Breguet 530 Saigon
- Civil version of the Breguet 521. Three Hispano-Suiza 12Y liquid-cooled inlines. Two built.[5]
Operators
- Luftwaffe (captured)
Specifications (Br.521)
Data from The Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft[6]
General characteristics
- Crew: 8
- Length: 20.48 m (67 ft 2 in)
- Wingspan: 35.18 m (115 ft 4 in)
- Height: 7.50 m (24 ft 6 in)
- Wing area: 162.6 m² [4] (1,750 ft²)
- Empty weight: 9,470 kg (20,878 lb)
- Loaded weight: 14,669 kg (32,271 lb [4])
- Max takeoff weight: 16,600 kg (36,597 lb)
- Powerplant: 3× Gnome-Rhone 14Kirs or 14N-11 14-cylinder radial engines, 671 kW (900 hp) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 243 km/h (131 kn, 151 mph)
- Cruise speed: 200 km/h (108 kn, 124 mph [4])
- Range: 2,100 km (1,134 nmi, 1,305 mi)
- Service ceiling: 6,000 m (19,685 ft)
- Wing loading: 90.2 kg/m² (18.4 lb/ft²)
- Power/mass: 137 W/kg (0.0837 hp/lb)
- Climb to 2,000 m (6,560 ft): 8 min 46 sec
Armament
- Guns: 5 × 7.5 mm (.295 in) Darne machine guns
- Bombs: 300 kg (660 lb) of bombs
See also
Related development
- Short S.8 Calcutta
- Breguet 530 Saigon
Related lists
Lists relating to aviation | |
|---|---|
| General | Timeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines |
| Military | Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft |
| Notable incidents and accidents | Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths |
| Records | Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft |
References
- Donald, David (Editor) (1997). The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Aerospace Publishing, p. 189. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.
- Green, William (1968). Warplanes of the Second World War, Volume Five, Flying Boats. London: Macdonald, p.6-9. ISBN 356 01449 5.
- Jackson, Robert, The Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft, Paragon, 2002. ISBN 0-75258-130-9
External links
Lists relating to aviation | |
|---|---|
| General | Timeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines |
| Military | Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft |
| Notable incidents and accidents | Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths |
| Records | Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft |
de:Breguet 521 fr:Breguet Bre 521 it:Breguet Bre 521 Bizerte ja:ブレゲー 521 pt:Breguet 521
| This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Breguet 521". |
