PL.15 | |
---|---|
Role | Seaplane torpedo bomber |
National origin | France |
Manufacturer | Levasseur |
First flight | October 1932 |
Introduction | 1933 |
Retired | 20 August 1940 |
Primary user | Aéronavale |
Number built | 17 |
Developed from | Levasseur PL.14 |
The Levasseur PL.15 was a torpedo bomber seaplane developed in France in the early 1930s. [1] It was a follow-on design to Levasseur's PL.14 that had, in turn, been developed from the carrier-based PL.7. [2] While the PL.14 retained the PL.7's boat-like fuselage (developed as a safety feature for carrier-based aircraft ditching), the PL.15 was a purpose-built seaplane with an all-new, slender fuselage. [1] [3]
The Aéronavale ordered 16 PL.15s for use aboard the seaplane tender Commandant Teste , and purchased and deployed the prototype as well. These were in service from 1933 to 1938, when they were put into storage. [1] [3] The PL.15s were reactivated with the outbreak of war in September 1939, and were used for anti-submarine patrol along France's Atlantic coast. [1] [3]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
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