Breguet 14
Breguet 14 | |
---|---|
Role | Bomber and reconnaissance |
Manufacturer | Breguet |
Designer | Marcel Vuillierme |
First flight | 21 November 1916 |
Introduction | May 1917 |
Status | Retired |
Primary users | |
Produced | 1916–1928 |
Number built | c. 8,000[1] |
Developed from | Breguet AV |
Variants | 17
|
The Breguet XIV (in contemporary practice) or Breguet 14 was a French biplane bomber and reconnaissance aircraft of World War I. It was built in very large numbers and production continued for many years after the end of the war.
The Breguet 14 was among the first mass-produced aircraft to use large amounts of aluminium, rather than wood or steel, in its structure. This allowed the airframe to be both lighter and stronger, in turn making the aircraft fast and agile and it was able to outrun some contemporary fighters.
Development
Background
The Breguet 14 was designed by aviation pioneer and
In spite of the French official preference for pushers, Breguet remained a proponent of tractor aircraft.
Two variants of the Breguet AV (Type XIII and Type XIV to the French authorities) were built. Both had a boxy shape that was complemented by a rectangular frontal radiator and the unusual
The airframe's structure was constructed primarily of
Into flight
Louis Breguet took the prototype into the air for the first time on 21 November 1916.[7] In November 1916, the S.T.Aé. had issued requirements for four new aircraft types, and Breguet submitted the XIV for two of those - reconnaissance and bomber.[7]
The prototype was passed to the S.T.Aé on 11 January 1917 for trials and was accepted to fill both roles. The report issued on 7 February 1917 from the trials stated that the prototype had attained a speed of 172 km/h (107 mph) at an altitude of 2,000 m (6,600 ft).[7] On 22 February 1917, Breguet asked the S.T.Aé about initiating production and informed them on 2 March that jigs were ready.[7] On 6 March 1917, the first official production order was received by Breguet, calling for 150 Breguet XIV A.2 reconnaissance aircraft and an additional order for 100 XIV B.2 bombers was received on 4 April.[7] The A.2 was equipped with several
By mid-1917, the French authorities ordered a substantial increase in production.
As an insurance against engine shortages, alternatives to the standard Renault powerplant were installed, both for experimental purposes and in production quantities.
Other minor variants of the Breguet 14 were flown in small numbers during the Great War; these included the XIV B.1 (Bombardement) long-range single-seat bomber, the XIV GR.2 (Grande Raid) long-range reconnaissance/bomber, the XIV H (Hydro)
Operational history
The Breguet 14 was used in large numbers from May 1917 onwards, and at its peak equipped at least 71 escadrilles, and was deployed on both the Western Front, where it participated in number major actions in which it typically acquitted itself well,[8] and in the east, on the Italian front.
For its actions during the Battle of the Lys, the Section Artillerie Lourde, equipped with the type, received a citation and was further lauded for its actions during the Allied counter-attack to the German spring offensive. On 9 July 1918, Capitaine Paul-Louise Weiller shot down two enemy aircraft during one sortie while flying the type.[8]
Following its introduction by the French, during 1918, the Breguet 14 was also ordered by the
A Breguet 14 played a role in one of the last actions of the war. During November 1918, one aircraft was used to transport a German military officer, Major von Geyer, from Tergnier and Spa. It was covered in large white flags of truce to avoid being attacked.[16]
The type continued to be widely used after the war, equipping the French occupation forces in Germany and being deployed to support French troops in the colonies.[10] A special version was developed for the harsh conditions encountered overseas, designated "14 TOE" (Théatres des Operations Extérieures). These saw service in putting down uprisings in Syria and Morocco, in Vietnam and in the French intervention in the Russian Civil War. The last trainer examples were not withdrawn from French military service until 1932.
Other air arms using the type included
Weeks after the signing of the Armistice, the Breguet 14 was used to conduct several long-distance flights to demonstrate its capabilities.
Variants
Data from:[20]
- Breguet AV 1
- (Given the STAé designation Breguet 13) Company designation of the first aircraft of the Breguet 13/14 family. Powered by a 263 hp (196 kW) Renault V-12 engine with short fuselage and all-flying rudder.
- Breguet AV 2
- (Given the STAé designation Breguet 14) Company designation of the second aircraft of the Breguet 13 / 14 family. Powered by a 263 hp (196 kW) Renault V-12 engine in a longer fuselage with fixed fin.
- Breguet 13
- AV 1 the first of the Breguet 14 family with a short fuselage and no fixed fin.
- Breguet 14 A.2
- Basic production variant to the two-seat Army co-operation specification (A.2), typically powered by a 300 hp (220 kW) Renault 12Fe V-12 engine.[21]
- Breguet 14 AP.2
- High-altitude, long-range reconnaissance variant, powered by a 400 hp (300 kW) Liberty L-12 engine. One converted from an A.2
- Breguet 14 AE
- A single aircraft, (F-AEEZ), converted for use in the colonies.
- Breguet 14/400
- Postwar aircraft powered by 400 hp (300 kW) .
- Breguet 14 C
- A single aircraft powered by a 450 hp (340 kW) Renault 12Ja V-12 engine for use as a postal aircraft in the United States.
- Breguet 14 H
- A floatplane version powered by a 320 hp (240 kW) Indo-China.
- Breguet 14 B.2
- The two-seat bomber version.
- Breguet 14 B.1
- A single-seat bomber version: two were ordered for a planned raid on Berlin.
- Breguet 14 floatplane
- A twin float hydroplane version, tested at St Raphaël in 1924.
- Breguet 14 S
- (S – Sanitaire) Ambulance aircraft modified to carry two stretchers in the rear fuselage. (A later dedicated ambulance aircraft was also produced).
- Nakajima B-6
- Breguet 14 B.2 bombers licence-built in Japan by Nakajima, powered by 360 hp (270 kW) Rolls-Royce Eagle V-12 engines.
- Yackey BRL-12 Transport
- American conversion of a 14 B.2 with corrugated fuselage skins and floats.[22]
Operators
- Aviação Militar do Exército Brasileiro operated 30 14A2 and 14B2 from 1920 until 1928.[24]
- Nationalist Chinese Air Force operated 50 until 1932.[25]
- Czechoslovak Air Force obtained 10 Breguet 14s in 1919.[25]
- Danish Air Force operated several from 1920 until 1927.[25]
- Air Force of El Salvador a single example was bought from France in the mid-1920s, but crashed in 1927 while delivering smallpox vaccine.[25]
- Estonian Air Force operated one aircraft only.
- Finnish Air Force received 22 between 1919 and 1921 and operated them until 1927.[25]
- Armée de l'Air
- French Navy used the Breguet 14 for reconnaissance from 1922, with the type remaining in service until 1930.[26]
- Breguet 19s in 1925.[25]
- Guatemalan Air Force Three delivered, but returned unused after the instructor who accompanied them died.[25]
- Imperial Japanese Army Air Force One 14 B.2 was purchased and a second one was built locally by Nakajima as the B-6.[25]
- Army of Central Lithuania received two ex-Polish aircraft in 1920.[25]
- Persia
- Iranian Air Force received two aircraft in 1924.[25]
- Paraguayan Air Arm – one aircraft used in the Revolution of 1922[27]
- Polish Air Force - three French escadrilles were redesignated as Polish and transferred with their aircraft to Poland in 1919.[28] These were supplemented with an additional 70 aircraft which were eventually retired in 1924.[29]
- Portuguese Air Force operated 28 14 A.2s and a single 14 T from 1919 until 1931.[29]
- Royal Romanian Air Force operated 20 14 B.2s until replaced in the mid-1920s[29]
- Serbian Air Force - During WW1 three French escadrilles operated in Serbia with Serbian crews, and their aircraft eventually transferred to Serbia - who used them until 1923 [29]
- Soviet Air Force[30]
- Spanish Air Force[30]
- Swedish Air Force - received one aircraft only in 1919, which was given a civil registration in 1923.[30]
- Siam
- Royal Siamese Air Force[30] 40+ aircraft
- Yugoslav Royal Air Forcemay have operated one ex-Serbian example.
Survivors and replicas
- Bre.2016 - Breguet 14 A.2 is on display at the Musée de l'air et de l'espace in Paris, France in French markings.[32]
- 3C30 - The last survivor of 22 (or 30) examples bought shortly after the end of WW1, this Breguet 14 A.2 arrived in 1921, and was operational from 1922 until retired in 1927.[33] It was on display following an extensive restoration at the Finnish Air Force Museum in Jyväskylä, Finland to its original Finnish markings.[32]
- A replica Breguet 14 built in 1980 as F-AZBP, and which appeared in several movies has been on display at the Royal Thai Air Force Museum in Bangkok since 2012 in Siamese markings as B.TH1.[34]
- A replica registered as F-AZBH is regularly flown on the French Airshow circuit, currently marked as an early aircraft, without camouflage, while it was previously marked as a Latécoèremachine.
- A replica marked as Bre.2812 and carrying the markings of the US Air Service's 96th Aero Squadron is on display at the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre in New Zealand.
Specifications (14 B.2)
Data from French aircraft of the First World War,[20] Profile #157 :The Breguet 14[35]
General characteristics
- Crew: Two
- Length: 8.870 m (29 ft 1 in)
- Upper wingspan: 14.364 m (47 ft 2 in) with original ailerons
- 14.86 m (48.8 ft) with balanced ailerons
- Lower wingspan: 13.664 m (44 ft 10 in) with original ailerons
- 13.284 m (43.58 ft) with balanced ailerons
- Height: 3.33 m (10 ft 11 in)
- Wing area: 50.2 m2 (540 sq ft) with original ailerons
- 48.5 m2 (522 sq ft) with balanced ailerons
- Airfoil: Eiffel 4.6%[36]
- Empty weight: 1,017 kg (2,242 lb)
- Gross weight: 1,769 kg (3,900 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Renault 12FcxV-12 water-cooled piston engine, 220 kW (300 hp)
- Alternative engines
- Renault 12Fcy230 kW (310 hp)
- Renault 12Fe 240 kW (320 hp) sometimes fitted with Rateau turbocharger
- Renault 12Ff260 kW (350 hp)
- Renault 12K 300 kW (400 hp)
- Fiat A.12 190 kW (260 hp)
- Fiat A.14 450 kW (600 hp)
- Lorraine-Dietrich 12Da280 kW (370 hp)
- Lorraine-Dietrich 12E290 kW (390 hp)
- Liberty L-12 300 kW (400 hp)
- Panhard 12C 260 kW (350 hp)
- Panhard 12D 250 kW (340 hp)
- Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII270 kW (360 hp) (Nakajima B-6)
- Alternative engines
- Propellers: 2-bladed Ratier série 34 fixed-pitch wooden propeller, 2.940 m (9 ft 8 in) diameter with Renault 12F engines
- (2-bladed Ratier série 34 fixed-pitch wooden propeller with Liberty L-12 engine)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 195 km/h (121 mph, 105 kn)
- Endurance: 2 hours 45 minutes
- Service ceiling: 6,200 m (20,300 ft)
- Rate of climb: 4.867 m/s (958.1 ft/min)
- Time to altitude: ::2,000 m (6,600 ft) in 9 minutes 15 seconds
- 3,000 m (9,800 ft) in 16 minutes 30 seconds
- 5,000 m (16,000 ft) in 47 minutes
- Wing loading: 32 kg/m2 (6.6 lb/sq ft) (at max. takeoff weight)
- Power/mass: 0.15 kW/kg (0.09 hp/lb) (at max. takeoff weight)
Armament
- Guns: 1 × fixed 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Lewis Gunon T.O.3 or T.O.4 mount for the observer
- Bombs: up to 355 kg (783 lb) of bombs, typically 32x 8 kg (18 lb) 115mm bombs
See also
Related development
- Breguet 16
- Breguet 17
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
References
Citations
- ^ Bruce and Noel 1967, p. 16.
- ^ Bruce and Noel 1967, p. 3.
- ^ a b Bruce and Noel 1967, p. 4.
- ^ Bruce and Noel 1967, pp. 4–5.
- ^ a b c d e Bruce and Noel 1967, p. 5.
- ^ Bruce and Noel 1967, pp. 5–6.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Bruce and Noel 1967, p. 6.
- ^ a b c d e Bruce and Noel 1967, p. 7.
- ^ Bruce and Noel 1967, pp. 6–7.
- ^ a b c d Bruce and Noel 1967, p. 12.
- ^ a b c Bruce and Noel 1967, p. 8.
- ^ Bruce and Noel 1967, pp. 8–9.
- ^ Bruce and Noel 1967, p. 9.
- ^ Bruce and Noel 1967, p. 10.
- ^ Bruce and Noel 1967, pp. 10–11.
- ^ a b Bruce and Noel 1967, p. 11.
- ^ a b c d Bruce and Noel 1967, p. 13.
- ^ Bruce and Noel 1967, pp. 13–14.
- ^ "1921 Paris Air Salon: Breguet 14Tbis." Flight, 24 November 1921.
- ^ ISBN 1891268090.
- ^ Type 14 A2. Model 1921 (PDF). Notice technique de l'avion Breguet (Report). Ministere de la guerre. 24 April 1922.
- ^ Eckland, K.O. "Aerofiles Y–Z". www.aerofiles.com. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
- ^ Davilla, 1997, p.115
- ^ Flores Jr., 2015, pp.359-364
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Davilla, 1997, p.116
- ^ Morareau 1990, p. 16
- ^ "All-Time Aircraft Used List | Paraguayan Air Force".
- ^ Davilla, 1997, pp.116-117
- ^ a b c d Davilla, 1997, pp.117
- ^ a b c d Davilla, 1997, pp.118
- ^ a b c Davilla, 1997, pp.119
- ^ a b Rimell, 1990, pp.38-39
- ^ "Breguet 14 A2 Plane Info". Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ^ "Aero Visuals Airframe Dossier". Aerial Visuals. 1993–2021. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ^ Bruce and Noel 1967, p. 14.
- ^ Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
Bibliography
- Andersson, Lennart (July 1998). "Histoire de l'aéronautique persane, 1921–1941: La première aviation du Chah d'Iran" [History of the Persian Air Force, 1921–1941: The First Aircraft of the Shah of Iran]. Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (76): 2–12. ISSN 1243-8650.
- Bruce, J. M.; Noel, Jean (1967). The Breguet 14. Profile Publications Number 157. London and Hatford: Profile Publications. ASIN B0007JXD5I.
- Davilla, Dr. James J.; Soltan, Arthur (1997). French Aircraft of the First World War. Mountain View, CA: Flying Machines Press. ISBN 978-1891268090.
- Flores Jr., Jackson (2015). Aeronaves Militares Brasileiras. Rio de Janeiro: Action Editora. ISBN 978-8585654412.
- Grandolini, Albert (January 2022). "The King's Breguets: The Royal Siamese Aeronautical Service's Breguet 14s". The Aviation Historian (38): 88–98. ISSN 2051-1930.
- Hirschauer, Louis; Dollfus, Charles, eds. (1920). L'Année Aéronautique: 1919–1920. Paris: Dunod. pp. 27–28.
- Hirschauer, Louis; Dollfus, Charles, eds. (1921). L'Année Aéronautique: 1920–1921. Paris: Dunod. p. 39.
- Kowalski, Tomasz J. (2002). Samolot Breguet 14. Typy Broni i Uzbrojenia no. 197 (in Polish). Warsaw: Dom Wydawniczy Bellona i Agencja Wydawnicza CB. ISBN 8311094616.
- Morareau, Lucien (February 1990). "Histoire de l'Aviation Embarquée en France: La 4eme Flotille, de la reconnaissance au bombardement". Le Fana de l'Aviation (in French). No. 243. pp. 14–17, 19–21.
- Nelcarz, Bartolomiej & Peczkowski, Robert (2001). White Eagles: The Aircraft, Men and Operations of the Polish Air Force 1918–1939. Ottringham, UK: Hikoki Publications. ISBN 1-902109-73-2.
- Rimell, Ray (1990). World War One Survivors. Bucks: Aston Publications. ISBN 0-946627-44-4.
- Sapienza, Antonio Luis (April 1999). "Le role de aviation lors de la révolution de 1922 au Paraguay" [The Role of Aircraft during the 1922 Paraguayn Revolution]. Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (73): 24–26. ISSN 1243-8650.
- Toelle, Alan D. (2003). Breguet 14. Windsock Datafile Special. Hertfordshire, UK: Albatros Publications. ISBN 978-1902207612.