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Hello everyone, and welcome to this new suggestion.
Today, I am presenting a new French prototype aircraft: the Amiot 140.
In the late 1920s, the French government issued specifications for a new four-seat, twin-engine bomber capable of carrying out both day and night operations, as well as various reconnaissance missions. Several French manufacturers responded to the tender, including Amiot, which proposed the aircraft that would become the Amiot 140.
The resulting aircraft was a large, all-metal, high-wing monoplane with a configuration typical of the bombers of its era. The Amiot 140 made its maiden flight in 1931 and initially demonstrated promising flight characteristics. Its defensive armament was also considered adequate for the time, giving the aircraft a reasonable ability to protect itself against enemy fighters.
Following the initial flight tests, the prototype underwent several modifications intended to bring it closer to its intended operational configuration. Among the most important changes was the installation of equipment and internal arrangements allowing it to carry its planned bomb load.
However, this is where the aircraft encountered one of its biggest problems. The bomb load remained below the requirements set by the French Air Force, while those requirements were themselves evolving rapidly as foreign air forces introduced increasingly capable bombers. What had initially seemed sufficient was quickly becoming inadequate, leaving the Amiot 140 with limited offensive capabilities compared with what the General Staff was now seeking.
As a result, the aircraft was ultimately not selected for production. Nevertheless, the project was far from a complete failure. The experience gained from developing and testing the Amiot 140 allowed Amiot to continue refining the concept, producing the subsequent Amiot 141 and Amiot 142.
These successive developments eventually culminated in the Amiot 143, which entered service with the French Air Force and became the definitive production aircraft of the family.
Characteristics
Length : 16.995 m
Width : 24.440 m
Height : 5.135 m
Mass :
- Empty : 5,133 kg
- Full : 6,471 kg
The aircraft is powered by two 650 hp Hispano-Suiza engines, allowing it to reach a top speed of 250 km/h and a service ceiling of 7,500 m. Its range is estimated at 650 km in still air.
The crew consists of 4 to 5 personnel: a pilot, a forward observer/gunner, a dorsal gunner, and a bombardier/ventral gunner, with the option to add a fifth gunner.
Weapons
The aircraft’s armament is quite solid; it features defensive weaponry providing all-round coverage and offensive weaponry that, while light, allows for attacks on various types of targets.
Defensive armament:
- 1 x twin 7.7mm Vickers machine gun mount (dorsal turret)
- 1 x 7.7mm Vickers machine gun (nose turret)
- 1 x 7.7mm Vickers machine gun (forward ventral position)
- 1 x 7.7mm Vickers machine gun (rear ventral position)
Offensive armament:
- 912 kg of bombs in the internal bay
In-game, this aircraft would be an interesting addition, offering decent flight performance and strong defensive armament, though its utility is somewhat limited by a low bomb load. Nevertheless, it would make for a solid bomber in the French tech tree.
Pictures
Sources
- Wayback Machine
- Amiot Projects & Prototypes | Page 2 | Secret Projects Forum
- Amiot 140
- La famille des Amiot 140 : le prototype Amiot 140, l’Amiot 142 à moteurs en ligne, l’Amiot 143, le grand sacrifié de 1940 et l’Amiot 144 à train d’atterrissage escamotable, prévu pour remplacer le 143 et… - Avions moches, bizarres, ratés, projets abandonnés et aviation insolite. | Facebook
