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Hello everyone, and welcome to this new suggestion.
Today, I am presenting a new French reconnaissance and bomber aircraft from the interwar period: the Bloch M.B.131 RB4.
In the early 1930s, the French Air Force sought to modernize its fleet of reconnaissance and bomber aircraft. Marcel Bloch responded with the M.B.130, a low-wing monoplane designed to perform several different missions. However, the project failed to meet the Air Force’s expectations and never entered production.
A few years later, in 1935, the French General Staff launched a new program for a long-range reconnaissance and bombing aircraft. Bloch once again proposed a development of his previous design, but this time with several major improvements. The new aircraft, designated M.B.131 RB4 (Reconnaissance et Bombardement, quadriplace), featured more powerful engines, improved aerodynamics, and fully retractable landing gear, giving it significantly better performance than its predecessor.
The prototype made its maiden flight in 1937 and quickly demonstrated satisfactory flight characteristics. The Air Force was sufficiently impressed to place an order for more than a hundred aircraft, making the M.B.131 one of the most important reconnaissance aircraft in the French inventory on the eve of World War II.
When the war began in 1939, the M.B.131 was employed as a long-range reconnaissance and bombing aircraft. It carried out numerous missions over the front, providing valuable information on German troop movements and positions. However, the aircraft was already becoming obsolete. Its defensive armament was relatively weak, while its lack of adequate armor left both the aircraft and its crew highly vulnerable to enemy fighters and anti-aircraft fire.
As German air superiority became increasingly dominant during the Battle of France, M.B.131s suffered heavy losses. Their vulnerability eventually forced the Air Force to withdraw them from frontline operations and reassign the surviving aircraft to training and secondary duties.
Following the French capitulation in June 1940, the remaining M.B.131s gradually disappeared from service.
Characteristics
Length : 17.85 m
Width : 20.30 m
Height : 4.10 m
Mass :
- Empty : 6 050 kg
- Full : 8 526 kg
The aircraft is powered by two Gnome & Rhône 14 N engines, each developing 910 hp, enabling it to reach a top speed of 385 km/h and a service ceiling of 7,100 m. It has a range of 1,200 km with a 900 kg bomb load.
The crew consists of four to five people, including a pilot, a navigator/bombardier, a radio operator, a mechanic/gunner, and a second gunner.
Weapons
While not exceptional, the aircraft’s armament remains very respectable for its time, featuring the following:
Defensive armament:
- 1 x 7.5mm MAC 1934 (dorsal turret)
- 1 x 7.5mm MAC 1934 (ventral position)
- 1 x 7.5mm MAC 1934 (nose-mounted)
Offensive armament:
- 900 kg of bombs in the internal bay
In-game, this aircraft would be an interesting addition to the tech tree as an early-WWII light/medium bomber, complementing the French aircraft already present at lower Battle Ratings.
Pictures
