This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Potez 540 is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
| Potez 540 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Reconnaissance/bomber |
| Manufacturer | Potez |
| First flight | 14 November 1933 |
| Introduction | 1934 |
| Primary user | French Air Force |
The Potez 540 was a French multi-role aircraft of the 1930s. Designed and built by Potez, it served with the French Air Force as a Reconnaissance Bomber, also serving with the Republican side during the Spanish Civil War. Although obsolete as a bomber, it remained in service in support roles and in France's overseas colonies at the start of the Second World War.
Contents |
History
This two engine aircraft was built by the French Potez company to fulfill a 1932 specification for a new reconnaissance bomber. Built as a private venture, the Potez 54 flew for the first time on 14 November 1933. Designed by Louis Coroller, it was intended as a four-seat aircraft capable of performing duties such as bomber, transport and long-range reconnaissance. The Potez 54 was a high wing monoplane, of mixed wood and metal covering over a steel tube frame. The prototype had twin fins and rudders, and was powered by two 515kW Hispano-Suiza 12Xbrs V-12 engines in streamlined nacelles, which were connected to the fuselage by stub wings. The main landing gear units retracted into the nacelles, and auxiliary bomb racks were mounted beneath the stub wings. There were manually operated turrets at the nose and dorsal positions, as well as a semi-retractable dustbin style ventral turret. During development the original tailplane was replaced by a single fin and rudder, and in this form the type was re-designated Potez 540 and delivered to the Armee de I'Air on 25 November 19341. A total of 192 Potez 540s were built.
Their first combat was in the Spanish Civil War, where they were employed by the Spanish Republicans. In the later 1930s, these aircraft were becoming obsolete so they were withdrawn from reconnaissance and bombing duties and were relegated to French transport units. They were also employed as paratrooper training and transport aircraft. By September 1939 and the beginning of World War II, they had been largely transferred to the French colonies in North Africa, where they continued to function in transport and paratrooper service. Their role in even these secondary assignments was problematic given their poor defensive armament and vulnerability to modern enemy fighters. Following the French capitulation to Germany in June 1940, those Potez 540s still flying served the Vichy French Air Force mainly in the French overseas colonies. Most of these machines were retired or destroyed by late 1943.
Variants
- Potez 54
- One prototype, later converted (with twin tails) into the Potez 540 No. 1.
- Potez 540
- Production aircraft with Hispano-Suiza 12Xirs vee piston engines. 185 built. Used by France and Spain.
- Potez 541
- 540 re-engined with Gnome-Rhône 14Kdrs radial engines. One built
- Potez 542
- Derivative of 540 powered by 537 kW (720 hp) Lorraine Petrel engines. 74 built. Used by France and Spain.
- Potez 543
- Production derivative of Potez 541, powered by Gnome-Rhône 14Kdrs engine. 10 built for Romania.
Operators
Specifications (Potez 540)
General characteristics
- Crew: 4 to 7 [dependent whether functioning as transport or bomber]
- Length: 16.20 m (53 ft 2 in)
- Wingspan: 22.10 m (72 ft 6 in)
- Height: 3.88 m (12 ft 9 in)
- Wing area: 76.0 m² (818.06 ft²)
- Empty weight: 3,785 kg (8,344 lb)
- Loaded weight: 5,950 kg (13,115 lb)
- Powerplant: 2× Hispano-Suiza HS 12 Xirs/Xjrs V-12 liquid-cooled piston engines, 515 kW (690 hp) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 310 km/h at 3,962 m (193 mph at 13,000 feet)
- Range: 1,250 km (777 miles)
- Service ceiling 10,000 m (32,810 feet)
Armament
- 3-5× 7.5 mm (0.29 inch) machine guns in flexible nose, dorsal, and ventral positions
- 4× 225 kg (496 lb) bombs on external racks or ten 55 kg (121 lb) bombs in bomb bay when operated as a bomber
References
- ^ The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
External links
See also
|
||||||||||||||
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 10 September 2008, at 15:00.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Potez 540".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.