Farman F.420
F.420 | |
---|---|
Role | Multi-role |
National origin | France |
Manufacturer | Farman, Boulogne-Billancourt
|
First flight | 18 June 1934 |
Number built | 2 |
The Farman F.420 was a twin engine monoplane, built in France in the mid-1930s to compete in a government contest for an aircraft capable of fulfilling bomber, fighter and reconnaissance roles. Two prototypes were constructed but no production followed.
Design and development
In August 1933 the French Air Ministry issued a call for prototypes of a multirole class of aircraft, likely to be ordered in large numbers. The intention was to produce a machine which was competitive as a fighter, bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, so the class was known as BCR for de bombardement, de combat et de reconnaissance. An alternative description was Multiplace de Combat. Eight or nine manufacturers responded with an aircraft: the F.420 was Farman's candidate.[1]
It was a wooden
The fuselage was rectangular in cross-section, with a glazed cockpit just forward of the leading edge of the wing. Further forward the fuselage top and bottom remained flat and parallel, with the nose enclosed by full depth, single curvature glazing with positions for a gunner/ bomb aimer. There were two other
The F.420 flew for the first time on 18 June 1934, piloted by André Salel accompanied by the engineer Roger Robin. During its second flight, with the same crew, fire broke out in the wing, started by an engine exhaust. When flames spread to the fuselage, the two men attempted to bail out, only to find that the side door in the fuselage was too narrow to allow escape whilst wearing parachute packs; both died in the crash.[1]
Farman funded a second F.420 which had prominent exhaust pipes from the tops of the engine housings leading back over the wings, which were locally protected from the heat by a metal covering. The nose was also reworked, incorporating a new turret and a large escape hatch. This aircraft was test flown at
Specifications
Data from Les avions Farman pp.230-1[1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 3
- Length: 14.50 m (47 ft 7 in)
- Wingspan: 22.00 m (72 ft 2 in)
- Height: 3.50 m (11 ft 6 in)
- Wing area: 69.00 m2 (742.7 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 3,800 kg (8,378 lb)
- Gross weight: 6,900 kg (15,212 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × Gnome-Rhône 14 Kdrs14-cylinder double row radial, supercharged, 550 kW (740 hp) each
- Propellers: 3-bladed
Performance
- Maximum speed: 350 km/h (220 mph, 190 kn) at 4,000 m (13,000 ft)
- Range: 1,000 km (620 mi, 540 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 7,500 m (24,600 ft)
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
- List of bomber aircraft
- List of Interwar military aircraft
References
Bibliography
- Liron, Jean (1984). Les avions Farman. Collection Docavia. Vol. 21. Paris: Éditions Larivière. OCLC 37146471.