- Yes
- No
Hey, in this suggestion we’ll be looking at a rather weird looking French attacker from the 30s, the Bréguet 274.
The Bréguet 274 is a further development of the Bréguet 270, an aircraft that was designed to meet a requirement for a 2-seat reconnaissance aircraft for the French air force. The 270 was a two-seat all-metal sesquiplane. One of the curious design features was the very thin and angular tail that they chose to go with, the reasoning behind it was that it would give the rear gunner a better field-of-view to engage enemies in. The aircraft was not a great performer, but despite that, it received an order for 85 units from the French air force. The vehicle was further developed and eventually fitted with a more powerful engine, for which the designation 271 was added. This version also received an order for 45 units from the French air force.
Another new version developed from the 270 was the Bréguet 273. This version was fitted with an even more powerful Hispano-Suiza 12Ybrs engine. This allowed the aircraft to carry a bombload of up to 400kg. One could describe the following aircraft as a reconnaissance-bomber.
The final version and the one we care about for this suggestion is the Bréguet 274. This one was fitted with a 760hp Gnome-Rhone 14K radial engine. This was a serious improvement over the original 500hp engine. The type was specifically designed with bombing in mind and as such featured an increased bombload of up to 800kg. Its maximum speed was stated to be around 315 km/h and it could climb to 5km in 9 minutes and had an operational ceiling of about 8200m.
The aircraft first flew in January 1934. It was offered to the French air force, but they rejected it since they were not satisfied with the performance of the type. After all, a lot had changed in French aviation since the first models came out, and in 1934, this was sub-par performance. No further prototypes were built, but the vehicle was not retired immediately. The aircraft received a civilian registration number and was sent on publicity trip through Europe. Afterwards the aircraft also took part, and won, in the Hélène Boucher cup, averaging a speed of 277 km/h. What happened to the plane after this is unclear to me, but it seems like its career at the very least had no more noteworthy events.
The armament of this curious aircraft consists of a single forward firing 7.5mm Darne machine gun. This weapon shot through the propeller with the use of a synchronization gear. Additionally a twin mount of 7.7mm Lewis machine guns was available for the rear gunner.
With a carrying capacity of up to 800 kg, the plane also offers some decent suspended armament options. The aircraft was presumably capable of carrying a variety of bombs, ranging from 50 kg up to (sources are unclear here though) 200 kg.
General Characteristics:
- Width: 17.01m
- Length: 9.73m
- Height: 3.58m
- Wing surface area: 49.67m²
- Crew: 2
- Total weight: 3618 kg
- Maximum speed: 315 km/h
- Powerplant: 1x 760hp Gnome-Rhone 14K radial engine
Armament:
-
Offensive weapons:
- 1x 7.5mm Darne machine gun
-
Defensive weapons:
- 2x 7.7mm Lewis machine guns
-
Suspended armament:
- 8x 50kg bombs
- 4x 100 kg bombs
- 4x 200 kg bombs (whether or not this one is possible is unclear)
Place in-game:
Despite not being a successful aircraft in real life, I do believe that this plane could have a place in War Thunder. Its performance is relatively in-line with other 1.0 - 1.3 aircraft, which means it definitely wouldn’t stand out in that regard. In my opinion this vehicle would be an excellent addition to the lowest tiers of France. As it stands, France does not have the best CAS options for this range, the V-156F only offers a measly 2x 100kg bombs. Even without the 200 kg bombs, the Bréguet 274 would still be a welcome improvement. It’s unique looks would also serve to bring more of the French interwar design style into the game. I would love to see more of this peculiar style represented in-game.
Sources
AVIÕES MILITARES: Breguet 27 / 270
Bréguet 270 French Reconnaissance Aircraft - Destination's Journey
Bréguet 274 français
https://www.aviafrance.com/breguet-bre-274-aviation-france-9717.htm
Breguet-Br270
Breguet 27 / 270 - observation aircraft
Breguet Br.27
Avions Bréguet (Br) designations | Secret Projects Forum
Breguet Br.270 / Br.330