Breguet 890 Mercure

Last updated
Mercure / Mars
RoleFreighter and airliner
National originFrance
Manufacturer Breguet Aviation
First flight1 March 1949
Number built3

The Breguet 890 Mercure was a late 1940s French cargo and passenger transport aircraft designed by Breguet Aviation. [1] Three variants were produced including a military variant called the Mars but none entered production. [1] [2]

France Republic with mainland in Europe and numerous oversea territories

France, officially the French Republic, is a country whose territory consists of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The metropolitan area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany to the northeast, Switzerland and Italy to the east, and Andorra and Spain to the south. The overseas territories include French Guiana in South America and several islands in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. The country's 18 integral regions span a combined area of 643,801 square kilometres (248,573 sq mi) and a total population of 67.3 million. France, a sovereign state, is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre. Other major urban areas include Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lille and Nice.

The Société des Ateliers d'Aviation Louis Breguet also known as Breguet Aviation was a French aircraft manufacturer. The company was set up in 1911 by aviation pioneer Louis Charles Breguet.

Contents

Design and development

With a French Air Force requirement to replace the Douglas C-47 and Amiot AAC-1 Breguet started development of the Breguet 890 as a medium-capacity military transport. [2] The commercial transport prototype designated the Breguet 890H Mercure was an all-metal cantilever high-wing monoplane powered by two 2,000 hp (1,491 kW) Bristol Hercules radial engines. It had a retractable tricycle landing gear and, advanced for its day, a swing tail to allow access (using a loading ramp) into the fuselage for heavy equipment and vehicles. A military prototype was also built under the designation Breguet 891R Mars, it retained the swing tail but had provision for 20 paratroopers and was powered by two 1,600 hp (1,193 kW) Gnome-Rhône 14R-200 radial engines. The Mars had parachute doors on each side of the fuselage, a floor chute for dropping containers and also a towing hook for a glider.

Junkers Ju 52 airliner and military transport aircraft

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Bristol Hercules

The Bristol Hercules was a 14-cylinder two-row radial aircraft engine designed by Sir Roy Fedden and produced by the Bristol Engine Company starting in 1939. It was the first of their single sleeve valve designs to see widespread use, powering many aircraft in the mid-World War II timeframe.

The third variant and the first to fly on 1 March 1949 was a convertible passenger/cargo aircraft, designated the Breguet 892S Mercure. Although based on the 890H the 892S had four 500 hp (373 kW) Renault 12S inline piston engines. [1] It had a large cargo door on the starboard side and two passenger doors in the port side. When fitted with seats it could carry 40 passengers. [1]

Only one prototype of each variant was built, the French Air Force ordered the Nord Noratlas rather than the Mars and with the availability of war-surplus aircraft like the Douglas DC-3 available to commercial operators the type did not enter production. [2]

Nord Noratlas military transport aircraft

The Nord Noratlas was a dedicated military transport aircraft, developed and manufactured by French aircraft manufacturer Nord Aviation.

Douglas DC-3 airliner and military transport aircraft family

The Douglas DC-3 is a fixed-wing propeller-driven airliner that revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting effect on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever produced. It has a cruise speed of 207 mph (333 km/h), capacity of 21 to 32 passengers or 6,000 lbs of cargo and a range of 1,500 mi (2,400 km).

Variants

890H Mercure
Twin-engined freighter/commercial transport prototype powered by two 2,000 hp (1,491 kW) Bristol Hercules radial engines, one built, first flown in April 1950. Later the 892S variant was modified to the 890H standard. [2]
890J Mercure
Prototype commercial transport was originally to be powered by two Jumo 211 but with the availability of the British Hercules engine the designation was changed to 890H. [2]
891R Mars
Twin-engined military freighter variant of the 890H powered by two 1,600 hp (1,193 kW) Gnome-Rhône 14R-200 radial engines, one built, first flown in November 1949. [2]
892S Mercure
Four-engined convertible cargo/passenger variant with four 500 hp (373 kW) Renault 12S inline piston engines, one built, first flown in March 1949. The 892S was later converted to be the second 890H. [2]
893S
Unbuilt variant that would have used Bristol Hercules engines. [2]
894
Unbuilt variant that would have used Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines. [2]
895H
A larger variant was proposed in 1953 but not built. [2]

Specifications 892S Mercure

Data from Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft [1]

General characteristics

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 350 km/h (217 mph; 189 kn) at 2500m
  • Cruise speed: 285 km/h (177 mph; 154 kn) at 1500m
  • Range: 1,000 km (621 mi; 540 nmi)

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References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Orbis 1985, p. 879
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Chillon et al 1980, p. 155

Bibliography

  • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
  • J.Chillon; J-P Dubois; J.Wegg (1980). French Postwar Transport Aircraft. Tonbridge, England: Air-Britain (Historian) Limited. ISBN   0-85130-078-2.

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft was a weekly magazine by Aerospace Publishing/Orbis Publishing that was published in the UK in the early 1980s. The magazine was intended to eventually make up a multi-volume encyclopedia dedicated to aviation. Starting in 1982 the magazine lasted for 216 issues, each of 20 pages, making up 18 volumes. The first two issues were sold together for the price of one, subsequent issues were sold on their own.

International Standard Book Number Unique numeric book identifier

The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier which is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.

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