Breguet Nautilus

Last updated
790 Nautilus
Role Coastal patrol flying-boat
National origin France
Manufacturer Breguet Aviation
First flight 1939
Number built 2

The Breguet 790 Nautilus was a prototype French three-seat coastal patrol flying-boat designed and built by Breguet Aviation to meet a requirement from the French navy. [1]

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

Development

The Nautilus had a high-set monoplane wing on a single-step hull, the wing being fabric covered and the hull all-metal. [1] The aircraft was powered by a 720 hp (537 kW) Hispano-Suiza 12Xirs V-12 piston engine strut-mounted above the hull, driving a pusher propeller. [1]

Monoplane fixed-wing aircraft with a single main wing plane

A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with a single main wing plane, in contrast to a biplane or other multiplane, each of which has multiple planes.

Aircraft fabric covering

Aircraft fabric covering is a term used for both the material used and the process of covering aircraft open structures. It is also used for reinforcing closed plywood structures, the de Havilland Mosquito being an example of this technique, and on the pioneering all-wood monocoque fuselages of certain World War I German aircraft like the LFG Roland C.II, in its wrapped Wickelrumpf plywood strip and fabric covering.

V12 engine piston engine with 12 cylinders in vee configuration

A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders each, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft. Since each cylinder bank is essentially a straight-six which is by itself in both primary and secondary balance, a V12 inherits perfect primary and secondary balance no matter which V angle is used, and therefore it needs no balance shafts. A four-stroke 12 cylinder engine has an even firing order if cylinders fire every 60° of crankshaft rotation, so a V12 with cylinder banks at a multiples of 60° will have even firing intervals without using split crankpins. By using split crankpins or ignoring minor vibrations, any V angle is possible. The 180° configuration is usually referred to as a "flat-twelve engine" or a "boxer" although it is in reality a 180° V since the pistons can and normally do use shared crankpins. It may also be written as "V-12", although this is less common.

The first of two prototypes flew in 1939 and performed well enough that a production order for 75 was placed. [1] The order was reduced to 45 in May 1940 in order to free production capacity for more urgently needed combat aircraft, but none were built following the German invasion. [1] [2]

Variants

Breguet 790
Basic three-seat coastal reconnaissance aircraft, powered by 540 kW (720 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Xirs engine. Two prototypes built. [3]
Breguet 791
Proposed version powered by single 490 kW (660 hp) Gnome-Rhône 14M radial engine. Unbuilt. [2]
Breguet 792
Proposed version for ship-based reconnaissance aircraft, powered by two 270 kW (360 hp) Béarn 6 air-cooled inline engines. Unbuilt. [2]

Specifications

Data from [1]

General characteristics

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 310 km/h (193 mph; 167 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 150 km/h (93 mph; 81 kn)
  • Range: 900 km (559 mi; 486 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 6,000 m (20,000 ft)

See also

Related lists

Related Research Articles

Bergamaschi C-1

The Bergamaschi C-1 and C-2 were Italian single-engined light trainers built by Cantieri Aeronautici Bergamaschi for the Bergamo flying school.

Couzinet 70

The Couzinet 70 was a 1930s French three-engined commercial monoplane built by Société des Avions René Couzinet founded by René Couzinet.

Potez 540

The Potez 540 was a French multi-role aircraft of the 1930s. Designed and built by Potez, it served with the French Air Force as a reconnaissance bomber, also serving with the Spanish Republican Air Force during the Spanish Civil War. Although obsolete as a bomber, it remained in service in support roles and in France's overseas colonies at the start of World War II.

Loire 102

The Loire 102 was a 1930s French flying boat designed as a mail plane by Loire Aviation.

Morane-Saulnier Vanneau

The Morane-Saulnier Vanneau is a two-seat basic trainer built in France by Morane-Saulnier and ordered by the French Air Force.

Dewoitine D.513

The Dewoitine D.513 was a 1930s prototype French monoplane fighter designed and built by Dewoitine.

The Avia 156 was a 1930s Czechoslovakian six-passenger commercial transport airliner for both mail and passengers, designed by Robert Nebesář and built by Avia. The type performed well but only one was built.

Bernard SIMB AB 14

The Bernard SIMB AB 14 was a 1920s French single-seat sesquiplane fighter aircraft designed and built by the Société Industrielle des Métaux et du Bois (SIMB). With a reluctance of the French authorities to purchase monoplanes the Bernard 14 was designed as a sesquiplane with Y-form struts bracing the wings on each side. It was powered by a Hispano-Suiza 12Hb inline piston engine and had a fixed tailskid landing gear. While on a test flight on 22 February 1926 the aircraft suffered a catastrophic structural failure of the upper wing and the only Bernard 14 was destroyed.

Bernard 20

The Bernard 20 was a 1920s French single-seat monoplane fighter aircraft designed and built by the Société des Avions Bernard. Originally displayed as a mock-up at the 1928 Paris Air Show it was a low-wing monoplane based on the Bernard V2 racer. The prototype powered by a 400 hp (298 kW) Hispano-Suiza 12Jb inline piston engine first flew in July 1929 from Orly. With its racing inheritance, in 1930 the aircraft flew at a speed of 280 km/h (174 mph). With the lack of interest by the French authorities for monoplanes the project was abandoned after 18 months of test flying.

CAMS 31

The CAMS 31 was a 1920s French single-seat fighter biplane flying-boat designed and built by Chantiers Aéro-Maritimes de la Seine (CAMS).

Bernard 15

The Bernard 15 C1 or Bernard SIMB AB 15 was a 1920s French single-seat sesquiplane fighter aircraft designed and built by the Société Industrielle des Métaux et du Bois (SIMB). With the structural failure of the earlier Bernard 14 the Bernard 15 was an improved variant with a greater span upper wing. It was powered by a Hispano-Suiza 12Hb inline piston engine and had a fixed tailskid landing gear. The performance was not an improvement on the Bernard SIMB AB 14 and only the prototype was built.

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

The Breguet 482 was a French four-engined bomber aircraft of the 1940s. It was designed prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, two prototypes were nearing completion when Germany invaded France in 1940, with one being flown after the end of the war as an experimental platform.

Bernard 82

The Bernard 82 was a French single-engined long-range monoplane bomber designed and built by Société des Avions Bernard. Only two prototypes were built and the type did not enter production.

The Borel-Odier Bo-T was a French twin-engined float biplane designed by Borel but built by Antoine Odier for the French Navy.

The Blériot 195 was a French monoplane mail-carrier designed and built by Blériot Aéronautique, the one aircraft built was modified a number of times but failed to enter production.

CAMS 38

The CAMS 38 was a French single-seat racing flying-boat designed by Rafaele Conflenti and built by Chantiers Aéro-Maritimes de la Seine (CAMS) for the 1923 Schneider Trophy race. The CAMS 38 was withdrawn from the race during the second lap.

Bernard H.V.120

The Bernard H.V.120 was a 1930s French racing seaplane designed and built by Bernard to compete in the Schneider Trophy race. Delays caused by engine problems and the crash of the second aircraft delayed entry and the aircraft did not race in the competition.

CAMS 36

The CAMS 36 was a 1920s French flying boat designed and built by Chantiers Aéro-Maritimes de la Seine. It was originally conceived as a single-seat fighter but evolved as a racer to compete in the 1922 Schneider Trophy race. Lack of funds in 1922 and an accident in 1923 meant the two aircraft built failed to participate in a Schneider race.

Buscaylet-de Monge 5/2

The Buscaylet-de Monge 5/2 was a 1920s French single-seat, parasol-wing fighter prototype designed by Louis de Monge for the Buscaylet et Cie company.

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Orbis 1985, p. 879
  2. 1 2 3 Green 1968, p.14.
  3. ↑ Green 1968, pp. 13–14.
Bibliography
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.

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.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.