Arsenal VG.36, almost as good as they hope

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caid’s suggestion #151

I would like to suggest a pretty nice light fighter for France, the Arsenal VG.36


The concept of a light fighter was very popular in France during the interwar. The government spared no money for the development of such machines, although the results obtained did not justify the hopes. In turn, the Air Force Headquarters believed that such fighters could be used as high-speed interceptors. The calculation was also based on the fact that these aircraft will be cheaper in production, will require less time to fabricate, and in operation, they will not require special maintenance. In the end, everything turned out quite the contrary, although several firms managed to achieve very good results.

Arsenal Aeronautique, led by Michel Verniss, and the chief engineer was Jacques Gautier - hence the designation VG. The new company took one of the old factories in Villacoublay, formerly owned by Breguet. The design of the aircraft with the designation VG-30 began at the end of 1936 and proceeded proactively without any government order. The design team intended to create a light single-seat fighter, which in its parameters was at least as good as the one adopted in the same year by the MS.405C.1, but with higher speed. The model of the plane was exhibited at the Paris Aviation Salon, where he made a favorable impression on the specialists. A few months later, the French Air Force issued a specification A.23 for the development of a lightweight fighter in the C1 category, in which VG.30 was very well fitted. Several more companies took part in the competition, and Arsenal’s competitors were strong enough. So, the firm Caudron, which was the trendsetter in this direction, presented project C.713 - the development of successful airplanes of the racing series, adapted for military needs. The lightweight Bloch MB.700 fighter was also built based on the existing design and was a reduced copy of the MV.151. A little later they were joined by Roussel R-30 and CAO.200, which also had good indicators.

The revised project was ready by mid-1937, and the construction of the first VG-30.01 model was completed the next year. Although the aircraft had a wooden structure, the high manufacturing culture and technological skill of Jacques Gautier left no doubt that the VG-30 would be quite a worthy competition to the recognized giants of aircraft construction. The prototype immediately planned to install a Potez 12Dc (610 hp) motor, but during the construction was selected Hispano-Suiza 12Xcrs (690 hp) featured the best performance data. Armament was not installed, but in the project, the fighter was equipped with a 20 mm motor cannon and four wing 7.5 mm machine guns.

as the VG.34, the VG 36 tries to achieve the goal of 600 km/h. the plane was fitted with the same engine as the VG 35. only the design was polished elsewhere. the Radiator notably was redesigned to offer a better aerodynamic and serial improvement on the frame. this allows the plane to reach the speed of 590 km/h at 7000 m. it flows in the 14th of May 1940. for the French air force, which was close enough to 600 km/h, and the VG 36 was scheduled to replace the VG 33 in the production line, only the German was winning the battle of France and the plane was withdrawn at La-Roche-Sur-Yon where it was finally destroyed to avoid his capture.

Firepower
The armament of the VG.36 is essentially the same as the VG.33. A 20mm HS 404 is placed in the propeller hub with 60 rounds for this auto-cannon. the ammunition is a bit small but the position of the 20mm makes it quit accurate and allows it to save ammunition. additionally, 4x 7.5mm MAC 31 are placed in the wings with a feed of 850 rounds per gun. this allows the plane to fight much longer against other aircraft even if their effectiveness is small. their sheer number and high fire-rate still make it a good threat for any planes. sadly the aircraft do not carry any additional armament

1x 20mm HS (60 rounds per gun) placed in the propeller hub
4x 7.5mm MAC 31 (850 rounds per gun) 2x placed in each wing.

Performance
the performance of this place is slightly better than the VG.33. with a top speed of 576 km/h at 6000m instant of 554 km/h. the slightly better speed is caused by the better engine. the VG.36 has a Hispano-Suiza 12Y-51 of 1000 ch instead of the Hispano-Suiza 12Y-31 of 860 hp. the performance in acceleration and climbing rate will also be improved as the plane have about no difference in any other aspect beside the engine. the climbing rate will go over14.26 m/sec and the turn rate shall remain at 19 sec. this makes this plane quite agile in battle but not significantly better than the VG.33

Weight : 2900 kg
engine power: 1000 hp
Speed : 590 km/h at 7,000 m
climbing rate : over 14.26 sec 
turn rate : 19 sec
ceiling : 11,000 m
range : 1200 km

Survivability
the survivability of the VG 34 is the same as the VG 33, the plane has the same frame and construction. the spar is made of metal as well as the flap. but the wings and fuselage are made of wood. this makes the plane quite vulnerable to the fire and HE rounds. the plane does not have any real armor despite of 3mm plate between the engine and cooling system which is not intended to be armor. the pilot could easily be knocked off. the players should rely on good plane performance to avoid being shut down.

Crew: 1
length: 8.64 m
Wingspan: 10.8 m
wings Area: 14 m2
height: 3.30 m

Armour

3mm plate between engine and cooling system (not intended to be actual armor)

Sources

3 Likes
2

Yes please, more indigenous french stuff

2 Likes
3

Yes, please, a +1 from me. More of the Arsenale Sud fighters are always welcome

1 Like
4

I thought this was already suggested. Or am I just remembering it from the old forums? Either way, definitely a needed addition.

1 Like