Breguet 941

Last updated
Br 941
McDonnell 188.jpg
The prototype as the McDonnell 188
RoleSTOL Transport
Manufacturer Breguet
First flight21 May 1958 (Breguet 940)
1 June 1961 (Breguet 941)
Introduction1967
Retired1974
Primary user French Air Force
Number built1 (940) + 1 (941) + 4 (941S)

The Breguet 941 was a French four-engine turboprop STOL transport aircraft developed by Breguet in the 1960s. Although widely evaluated, it was not built in large numbers, with only one prototype and four production aircraft being built.

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.

STOL A class of airplanes that are designed to takeoff and land in a short distance

STOL is an acronym for a short takeoff and landing aircraft, which have short runway requirements for takeoff and landing. Many STOL-designed aircraft also feature various arrangements for use on runways with harsh conditions. STOL aircraft, including those used in scheduled passenger airline operations, have also been operated from STOLport airfields which feature short runways.

Prototype early sample or model built to test a concept or process

A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and software programming. A prototype is generally used to evaluate a new design to enhance precision by system analysts and users. Prototyping serves to provide specifications for a real, working system rather than a theoretical one. In some design workflow models, creating a prototype is the step between the formalization and the evaluation of an idea.

Contents

Design and development

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the French aviation pioneer Louis Charles Breguet developed a concept for a Short Take Off and Landing (STOL) aircraft using four free-turbine turboshaft engines to drive a common powershaft, which, in turn drove four oversize propellers, which were evenly spaced along the leading edge of the wing with large, full-span, slotted flaps, with the arrangement known as "l'aile soufflée" or blown wing. [1] [ unreliable source? ]

Louis Charles Breguet Aircraft designer and builder, one of the early aviation pioneers

Louis Charles Breguet was a French aircraft designer and builder, one of the early aviation pioneers.

Free-turbine turboshaft

A free-turbine turboshaft is a form of turboshaft or turboprop gas turbine engine where the power is extracted from the exhaust stream of a gas turbine by a separate turbine, downstream of the gas turbine and is not connected to the gas turbine. This is opposed to the power being extracted from the power spool via a gear box.

Leading edge

The leading edge is the part of the wing that first contacts the air; alternatively it is the foremost edge of an airfoil section. The first is an aerodynamic definition, the second a structural one. As an example of the distinction, during a tailslide, from an aerodynamic point of view, the trailing edge becomes the leading edge and vice versa but from a structural point of view the leading edge remains unchanged.

An initial, experimental prototype, powered by four Turbomeca Turmo II engines, the Breguet 940 Integral, first flew on 21 May 1958, [1] and was used to prove the concept, demonstrating excellent short field performance. This led to an order being placed in February 1960 for a prototype of an aircraft employing the same concept, but capable of carrying useful loads. This aircraft, the Breguet 941, first flew on 1 June 1961. [2]

Testing of this prototype resulted in an order for four improved production aircraft, the Breguet 941S for the French Air Force, first flying on 19 April 1967. These were fitted with more powerful engines and a modified rear cargo door to allow for air-dropping of stores. [2]

French Air Force Air warfare branch of Frances armed forces

The French Air Force[aʀme də lɛʀ], literally Army of the Air) is the air force of the French Armed Forces. It was formed in 1909 as the Service Aéronautique, a service arm of the French Army, then was made an independent military arm in 1934. The number of aircraft in service with the French Air Force varies depending on source, however sources from the French Ministry of Defence give a figure of 658 aircraft in 2014. The French Air Force has 225 combat aircraft in service, with the majority being 117 Dassault Mirage 2000 and 108 Dassault Rafale. As of early 2017, the French Air Force employs a total of 41,160 regular personnel. The reserve element of the air force consisted of 5,187 personnel of the Operational Reserve.

Br 942

Breguet intended to develop the 940 genre further by adding a pressurised fuselage with airline seating as the Breguet Br 942. Wings, landing gear, empennage and engines were essentially similar to the Br 941, but were to be mated to a new 3.1 m (10 ft 2.0 in) diameter circular section fuselage, with airline seating for 40 first/business class or up to 60 economy class passengers. After the limited success of the Br 941 and Br 941S and expected high running costs, further development was abandoned. [3]

Operational history

Breguet 941S No.2 of the French Air Force exhibited at the 1971 Paris Air Show at Paris Le Bourget Airport. Breguet BR941S No.2 62-NB FAF LEB 05.06.71 edited-3.jpg
Breguet 941S No.2 of the French Air Force exhibited at the 1971 Paris Air Show at Paris Le Bourget Airport.

The 941 prototype was tested extensively by both France, and the United States, where a license agreement had been consummated with McDonnell Aircraft. The prototype, known as the McDonnell 188 in the US, was evaluated by both NASA [4] [5] and the US military, but no orders were placed. Several photos of the McDonnell-Douglas 188 are on display at the Air Museum in San Diego, in American Airlines and Eastern Airlines liveries. The second Br 941S also carried out a tour of the United States, being evaluated as a STOL passenger airliner for operation from small city airports, [6] although, again, no orders resulted. This aircraft demonstration activity included flights for Eastern Airlines in the northeast U.S.

United States Federal republic in North America

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country comprising 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.

NASA space-related agency of the United States government

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.

American Airlines, Inc. (AA) is a major American airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. It is the world's largest airline when measured by fleet size, revenue, scheduled passengers carried, scheduled passenger-kilometers flown, and number of destinations served. American, together with its regional partners, operates an extensive international and domestic network with an average of nearly 6,700 flights per day to nearly 350 destinations in more than 50 countries. American Airlines is a founding member of Oneworld alliance, the third largest airline alliance in the world. Regional service is operated by independent and subsidiary carriers under the brand name American Eagle.

The four Breguet 941S aircraft entered service with the French Air Force in 1967, serving until 1974. [1]

Variants

Breguet 941 prototype in 1963 Breguet 941 - NASA.jpg
Breguet 941 prototype in 1963
Breguet 941S preserved at the Musee de l'Air et de l'Espace Breguet 941S Le Bourget 01.JPG
Breguet 941S preserved at the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace
Breguet Br 940 Integral
Experimental prototype for concept demonstration, one built, powered by 4 298.3 kW (400 hp) Turbomeca Turmo II turboshaft engines. [3]
Breguet Br 941
Prototype transport, one built, powered by 4 913.5 kW (1,225 hp) Turbomeca Turmo IIID turboshaft engines. [3]
Breguet Br 941S
Production version for the French Air Force, an enlarged version of the 941, four built, powered by 4 1,081.3 kW (1,450 hp) Turbomeca Turmo IIID3 turboshaft engines.
Breguet Br 942
The proposed airliner development to have had a pressurised fuselage with airline seating for 40 first/business class or up to 60 economy class passengers. [3]
Breguet 945
Studies for a smaller version of the Breguet 942, primarily for military use, for operation from 304.8 m (1,000 ft) length hot and high airstrips. Power was to be supplied by two 1,081.3 kW (1,450 hp) Turbomeca Turmo IIIDs and a payload of about 1,497 kg (3,300 lb) would be carried for more than 1,448.4 km (900 mi) at about 386.2 km/h (240 mph). Development of the 945 was not continued to production status. [7]
McDonnell 188
(Later McDonnell-Douglas 188). Proposed licence manufacture and development in the United States by the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation.

Operators

Flag of France.svg  France

Surviving aircraft

Specifications (Br 941S)

Breguet 941S drawing Breguet 941S-3v.jpg
Breguet 941S drawing

Data from The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft [2]

General characteristics

Performance

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Aérostories Breguet Br 940/941 The Airplane with the "Deflection slipstream concept"" . Retrieved 2007-07-02.
  2. 1 2 3 Donald, David (Editor) (1997). The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Aerospace Publishing. ISBN   1-85605-375-X.CS1 maint: Extra text: authors list (link)
  3. 1 2 3 4 Taylor, John W.R. FRHistS. ARAeS (1962). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1962–63. London: Sampson, Low, Marston & Co Ltd.
  4. ↑ Borchers, Paul F.; Franklin, James A.; Fletcher, Jay W. "Flight Research at Ames, 1940–1997, Chapter 8 Boundary Layer Control, STOL, V/STOL Aircraft Research NASA SP-3300" . Retrieved 2007-07-02.
  5. ↑ Hartman, Edwin P. "Adventures in Research: A History of Ames Research Center 1940–1965, Part III: THE LEAP TO SPACE : 1959–1965, 1963–1965, NASA SP-4302" . Retrieved 2007-07-02.
  6. ↑ "Starting STOL". Time. 1968-08-16. Retrieved 2007-07-03.
  7. ↑ "Commercial Aircraft of the World". Flight International: 860. 29 November 1962. Retrieved 29 April 2013.

Bibliography

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