Sunderland MkIIIA

Mathll · August 3, 2026, 9:31pm

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Hello everyone, and welcome to this new suggestion.

Today, I am presenting a new seaplane that served with the French naval forces: the Short Sunderland Mk III.

The Sunderland was a seaplane manufactured by the British company Short Brothers during the 1930s. Entering service in 1938 and produced in the hundreds across various versions, this aircraft is one of the most iconic British planes of the Second World War, credited with numerous combat victories against German submarines as well as countless rescue operations throughout the conflict.

By 1943, the Free French forces were gaining momentum, gradually carving out a role among the Allied forces and undertaking an increasing number of missions. Naval aviation squadron 7FE received 19 Sunderland Mk IIIA aircraft to conduct patrol and reconnaissance missions along the African coast, operating out of the port of Dakar. The squadron carried out numerous missions over the next two years of the war; unfortunately, little is known about the specific operational successes achieved during that time.

At the end of the war, the unit was redesignated Flotilla 7F and continued to operate the aircraft. While they kept flying patrols off French territories, the Sunderlands were beginning to show their age, and maintenance was becoming difficult. In 1949, two consecutive crashes further reduced the number of available aircraft, making it urgent to find a replacement. Consequently, a new batch of aircraft—Sunderland Mk Vs (which will be the subject of a separate suggestion), was ordered from the British. However, this was not the end for the MkIIIA; although completely obsolete, the aircraft were distributed among other squadrons, where they carried out liaison and transport missions until the late 1960s, when the last of them were retired after nearly 15 years of service.

Characteristics

Length : 26.01 m

Width : 34.39 m

Height : 10.52 m

Mass :

Empty : 15 663 kg
Max : 26 332 kg

The aircraft is powered by four 1,060 hp Bristol Pegasus engines, enabling it to reach a speed of 340 km/h at an altitude of 2,000 m; its maximum service ceiling is 5,200 m, and it has a range of 2,850 km at a cruising speed of 286 km/h. The crew consists of 9 to 11 members, depending on the mission profile.

Equipment

The aircraft is equipped with the ASV MkII radar; this centimetric air-to-surface radar allows for the detection of enemy ships as well as surfaced submarines, thereby significantly enhancing the Sunderland’s detection capabilities during anti-submarine warfare missions.

Weapons

The armament of the French Sunderlands is exactly the same as that of the aircraft used by the British, with the sole difference that the dorsal turret was never fitted to the French forces’ aircraft.

Defensive armament:

4 x 7.7mm Browning machine guns (rear turret)
2 x 7.7mm Browning machine guns (nose turret)

Offensive armament:

4 x 7.7mm Browning machine guns (in the aircraft’s nose)
8 x 250lb bombs
4 x 500lb bombs

In-game, this aircraft would be an easy and interesting addition to the French tree; it would introduce a heavy seaplane to a lineup that currently has few or none, thereby effectively rounding out the French tree.

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