The Bloch MB.162 was a French four-engine, long-range bomber developed by Société des Avions Marcel Bloch in the late 1930s. Only a single prototype was built; after capture by German forces, it was pressed into service with the Luftwaffe as a transport.
| MB.162 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Heavy Bomber |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Société des Avions Marcel Bloch |
| Primary user | Luftwaffe |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1943 |
| First flight | 1 June 1940 |
| Developed from | Bloch MB.161 |
Development
editDeveloped from the speedy MB.160 long-range civil transport, the MB.162 was originally developed as a mail plane. The MB.162 01 bomber prototype first flew in June 1940 and was captured subsequent to the Armistice. Had the MB.162 entered production in 1941 as planned, it would have been a notable and fast heavy bomber for the French, somewhat analogous to the B-17 but much faster and less well-armed.
Operational history
editThe MB.162 did not fly a single combat mission, nor did the MB.162 B.5 production model ever enter production. The prototype was used by the Luftwaffe in I/KG 200 for clandestine affairs during 1943–1944.
Variants
edit- civil transport prototype with smaller span, longer, single central fin. Three built.
- MB.161
- produced postwar as airliner SE.161 Languedoc. 100 built
- MB.162 Raid
- Long-range mailplane version
- MB.162.01
- prototype, one built
- MB.162 Bn.5
- Production model - never produced
Military operators
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- Armee de l'Air (postwar)
Specifications (MB.162 B5)
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Data from War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Seven [1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 5
- Length: 21.91 m (71 ft 11 in)
- Wingspan: 28.1 m (92 ft 2 in)
- Height: 3.76 m (12 ft 4 in)
- Wing area: 109 m2 (1,170 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 11,890 kg (26,213 lb)
- Gross weight: 19,040 kg (41,976 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × Gnome-Rhône 14N-48 14-cylinder two-row air-cooled radial engine, 820 kW (1,100 hp) each LH rotation
- Powerplant: 2 × Gnome-Rhône 14N-49 14-cylinder two-row air cooled radial engine, 820 kW (1,100 hp) each RH rotation
- Propellers: 3-bladed variable-pitch propellers
Performance
- Maximum speed: 551 km/h (342 mph, 298 kn) at 5,500 m (18,000 ft)
- Range: 2,399 km (1,491 mi, 1,295 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 9,000 m (30,000 ft)
- Time to altitude:
- 2,000 m (6,600 ft) 5 minutes 48 seconds
- 5,000 m (16,000 ft) in 18 minutes
- Wing loading: 175 kg/m2 (36 lb/sq ft)
- Power/mass: 0.17 kW/kg (0.10 hp/lb)
Armament
- Guns: 2 × 7.5 mm (.295 in) MAC 1934 machine guns in nose and ventral positions
- 2 × 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon in ventral and dorsal positions
- Bombs: 3,600 kg (7,937 lb) of bombs
See also
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Related development
Related lists
Notes
edit- ^ Green 1967, p.106.
Bibliography
edit- Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War: Bombers and Reconnaissance Aircraft, Volume Seven. London: Macdonald, 1967.
External links
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- Aviafrance(in French)
- MB 162 - Dassault Aviation