Potez 25

Last updated
Potez 25
Potez 25 1 (MAE).JPG
Role Reconnaissance
Bomber
Fighter
Manufacturer Potez
PWS
First flight1924
Introduction1925
Retired1940s
Primary users French Air Force
Polish Air Force
Number built4,000 (2,500 in France)
Developed from Potez 23
Variants Potez 26, Potez 27

Potez 25 (also written as Potez XXV) was a French twin-seat, single-engine sesquiplane designed during the 1920s. A multi-purpose fighter-bomber, it was designed as a line aircraft and used in a variety of roles, including fighter and escort missions, tactical bombing and reconnaissance missions. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Potez 25 was the standard multi-purpose aircraft of over 20 air forces, including French and Polish. It was also popular among private operators, notably mail transport companies.

Contents

The aircraft was further developed into the 25M, a standard parasol-wing monoplane, which never entered production.

Design and development

In 1923, the Avions Henry Potez aircraft works started production of a successful Potez 15 reconnaissance biplane. Basing on experience gathered during the construction of that aircraft, Henry Potez started working on a new design of a heavier and faster multi-purpose aircraft. Designated Potez XXV or Potez 25, the prototype was built already in 1924. The main differences included a larger, more powerful engine and a new wing design. Instead of a classic biplane, Potez introduced a sesquiplane, with the lower wing significantly smaller. It was built in two main military variants: Potez 25A2 reconnaissance aircraft and Potez 25B2 bomber-reconnaissance aircraft.

In May 1925, the prototype was tested at the Service Technique d'Aeronautique Institute and was found a promising construction both for its manoeuvrability, speed and durability. Following the tests, the prototype entered serial production. To promote the new aircraft abroad, in a post-World War I market filled with hundreds of cheap demobilized aircraft, the Potez 25 was entered into a large number of races. Among the best-known achievements was a European rally (7,400 km/4,598 mi) and a Mediterranean rally (6,500 km/4,039 mi), both won by pilots flying the Potez. In 1920s, the Potez 25 was also used in a well-advertised Paris-Tehran rally (13,080 km/8,127 mi). In June 1930, Henri Guillaumet crashed with his Potez 25 in the Andes during an air mail flight. He survived after trekking through the mountains and was found after one week of searching.

Such achievements added to aircraft's popularity and made it one of the most successful French aircraft of the epoch. It was bought by a number of air forces, including those of France, Switzerland, Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, Greece, Spain, Japan, Yugoslavia, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Turkey and the USSR. After the USSR acquired two aircraft for testing, they decided against further purchases, finding it comparable to the native Polikarpov R-5. Altogether, approximately 2,500 aircraft were built in France.

Already in 1925, Poland bought a licence for Potez 25 and started to manufacture them in Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów (PWS, 150 built) and Plage i Laśkiewicz aircraft works (150 built). In 1928 the first Polish-built Potez 25 were tested by the Technical Aviation Development Institute in Warsaw and the design was slightly modified to better fit the needs of the Polish air forces. Among the notable differences were the introduction of leading edge slots. The production in Poland ceased in 1932. Altogether, 300 aircraft were built in a number of versions for long- and short-range reconnaissance and daylight tactical bombing. As the original Lorraine-Dietrich 12Eb engine was unavailable in Poland, it was replaced in 47 aircraft with a more powerful PZL Bristol Jupiter VIIF radial engine, starting from 1936.

In Romania, Potez 25 was produced by IAR. Several other countries manufactured Potez 25s under licence.

Variants

Potez 25
One prototype aircraft, powered by a 336 kW (451 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Ga W-12 engine. [1]
Potez 25 A.2 with Salmson engine Potez 25 A2 Salmson.JPG
Potez 25 A.2 with Salmson engine
Potez 25 A.2
Two-seat observation version, powered by a 388 kW (520 hp) Salmson 18Cmb or Lorraine 12Eb engine.
Potez 25.5
Production version, powered by a 373 kW (500 hp) Renault 12Jb, 100 built.
Potez 25.8
A reconnaissance-bomber powered by a single 370 kW (500 hp) Farman 12Wc W-12 engine, several dozen of which were built. [2]
Potez 25.12
Reconnaissance aircraft, approximately 280 built, powered by 390 kW (520 hp) Salmson 18Cmb 18 cyl. 9-bank in-line radial engines, (9 pairs of cylinders one behind the other, not staggered). [3]
Potez 25.23
A single P-25.12, (n°71), modified for a tour of europe from 14 to 22 September 1928. [4]
Potez 25.35
Two-seat target-tug version.
Potez 25.36
Two-seat monoplane version
Potez 25.44
A reconnaissance-bomber powered by a single 370 kW (500 hp) Renault 12Jb V-12 engine, 74 of which were built. [5]
Potez 25.47
A single liaison two-seater built especially for the Ministère de l'Air powered by a 450 kW (600 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Lb V-12 engine. [6]
Potez 25.55
Two-seat training version. 40 built.
Potez 25 ET.2
Two-seat intermediate training version, powered by a 373 kW (500 hp) Salmson 18Ab radial engine.
Potez 25 Farman
Two-seat observation version for the French Air Force, powered by a 373 kW (500 hp) Farman 12We. Also known as the Potez 25/4. 12 built.
Potez 25GR
Long-range version, powered by 340 kW (450 hp) Lorraine 12Eb W-12 engines. [7]
Potez 25 'Jupiter'
Export version, powered by a 313 kW (420 hp) Gnome-Rhône 9Ac Jupiter radial. Built under licence by Ikarbus in Yugoslavia and OGMA in Portugal, exported to Estonia and Switzerland. [7]
Potez 25H
Two floatplane prototypes, each one was powered by Gnome-Rhône 9A Jupiter radials.
Potez 25 Hispano-Suiza
VIP transport version, powered by a 447 kW (599 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Lb.
Potez 25M
one Hispano-Suiza powered aircraft was converted into a parasol-wing monoplane.
Potez 25 O photo from L'Aeronautique January,1926 Potez 25 O L'Aeronautique January,1926.jpg
Potez 25 O photo from L'Aéronautique January,1926
Potez 25-O
Specially strengthened and modified version, built for a non-stop North-Atlantic crossing. The aircraft was powered by a Jupiter radial, fitted with jettisonable landing gear and a strengthened landing skid. Only two were built.
Potez 25TOE
Major production version, 795 built, powered by 340 kW (450 hp) Lorraine 12Eb W-12 engines. [8]
A Clerget 14F diesel aircraft engine preserved at the Conservatoire de l'Air et de l'Espace d'Aquitaine Clerget 14 F.jpg
A Clerget 14F diesel aircraft engine preserved at the Conservatoire de l'Air et de l'Espace d’Aquitaine
Potez 25 engine test bed
A single Potez 25 was used to test a Clerget 14F-01 14-cylinder, two-row radial diesel engine. This aircraft, complete with diesel engine was probably the aircraft exported to Japan which became the Potez CXP1 of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS).

Operators

Civil operators

Flag of France.svg  France

Operators

Flag of Afghanistan (1931-1973).svg  Afghanistan
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil
Flag of the Republic of China.svg  China
Flag of Independent State of Croatia.svg  Independent State of Croatia
Flag of Ethiopia (1897-1936; 1941-1974).svg  Ethiopia
Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia
Flag of Finland.svg  Finland
Flag of France.svg  France
Flag of France (1794-1958).svg  Vichy France
Flag of Free France (1940-1944).svg  Free France
Flag of Greece (1822-1978).svg  Greece
Flag of Guatemala.svg  Guatemala
Merchant flag of Japan (1870).svg  Japan
Flag of Paraguay.svg  Paraguay
Flag of Poland.svg  Poland
Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal
Flag of Romania.svg  Romania
Flag of Spain 1931 1939.svg  Spanish Republic
Potez 25 of the Spanish Republican Air Force Potez 25-Spanish Republican AF.jpg
Potez 25 of the Spanish Republican Air Force
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union
Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey
Flag of Uruguay.svg  Uruguay
Flag of Yugoslavia (1918-1943).svg  Kingdom of Yugoslavia

Specifications (Potez 25)

Potez 25 A.2 3-view drawing from Aero Digest September,1930 Potez 25 A.2 3-view Aero Digest September,1930.png
Potez 25 A.2 3-view drawing from Aero Digest September,1930

Data from Aviafrance : Potez 25 [1]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

See also

Related lists

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bréguet 19</span> Type of aircraft

The Breguet 19 was a sesquiplane bomber and reconnaissance aircraft which was also used for long-distance flights and was designed by the French Breguet company and produced from 1924.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernard 190</span> 1928 French airliner

The Bernard 190 or Bernard-Hubert 190 was a French airliner of 1928. It was a high-wing cantilever monoplane of conventional configuration, based on the Bernard 18. Compared with its predecessor, it kept the same basic design but featured redesigned tail surfaces, an enlarged cabin, and offered its flight crew a completely enclosed cockpit. Also like its predecessor, the basic airliner model provided the basis for a long-range aircraft to be used in record attempts, the 191GR.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blériot-SPAD S.61</span> Type of aircraft

The Blériot-SPAD S.61 was a French fighter aircraft developed in 1923. Designed by André Herbemont, the S.61 was a conventional biplane, abandoning the swept upper wing used by Herbemont in several previous designs. The prototype S.61 was evaluated by the French Air Force alongside the S.51 as a potential new fighter, but like its stablemate, was rejected. The Polish Air Force was impressed enough to order 250, as well as purchase licences for local production. The Romanian Air Force also ordered 100 aircraft. About 30 were built in Poland, by the CWL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CAMS 55</span> Type of aircraft

The CAMS 55 was a reconnaissance flying boat built in France in the late 1920s which equipped the French Navy throughout the 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potez 540</span> 1933 French reconnaissance bomber aircraft

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nieuport-Delage NiD 62</span> Type of aircraft

The Nieuport-Delage NiD.62 was a French sesquiplane fighter from the early 1930s. This machine was a descendant of a long line of Nieuport-Delage fighters that were designed and built during the years immediately after World War I. The NiD.62 was built in 1931 as a fighter for the Armée de l'Air. It served until the late 1930s, when it was replaced by more modern monoplane fighters. By the time of the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, all of the NiD.62s had been withdrawn from front-line fighter escadrilles but were used as trainers in French flight schools. A few aircraft were employed as target tugs. After the French German Armistice and German occupation of North and West part of France in June 1940, the German Luftwaffe had no interest in the NiD.62s and they were scrapped. None survived the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dewoitine D.1</span> Type of aircraft

The Dewoitine D.1 was a French single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1920s, built by the French industrial company Dewoitine.

The Farman F.120 were a family of multi-engine monoplane aircraft designed and produced by the French aircraft manufacturer Farman Aviation Works. It was operated in a diverse range of purposes, including as a commercial airliner and as a military bomber aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morane-Saulnier MS.230</span> Type of aircraft

The Morane-Saulnier MS.230 aircraft was the main elementary trainer for the French Armée de l'Air throughout the 1930s. Almost all French pilots flying for the Armée de l'Air at the outbreak of World War II had had their earliest flight training in this machine. It was the equivalent of the Stearman trainer in the United States air services and the de Havilland Tiger Moth in the British Royal Air Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farman F.190</span> Type of aircraft

The Farman F.190 was a utility aircraft built in France in the 1920s and 1930s. It was a high-wing, strut-braced monoplane of conventional configuration with a fully enclosed cabin and fixed, tailskid undercarriage. Popular both as a private aircraft and in the air taxi role, some 30 examples were also operated by airlines in France and elsewhere in Europe. Fifteen of these joined Air France's fleet in 1933 from the fleets of the smaller airlines it had absorbed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farman F.200</span> Type of aircraft

The Farman F.200 was a civil utility aircraft produced in France in the 1930s. Derived from the F.190, it featured a revised fuselage that did away with its predecessor's enclosed cabin. Instead, it was a parasol-wing monoplane with open cockpits in tandem for the pilot and one or two passengers. Intended primarily as a trainer, it was also marketed as being suitable as a photographic platform or a mail plane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FBA 17</span> Type of aircraft

The FBA 17 was a training flying boat produced in France in the 1920s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morane-Saulnier Vanneau</span> Type of aircraft

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Letord Let.5</span> French WW1 reconnaissance bomber aircraft

The Letord Let.5 was probably the most numerous of a family of 3-seat reconnaissance bombers, designed and built in France from 1916, originally to an A3 specification from the STAé.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lioré et Olivier LeO H-190</span> Type of aircraft

The Lioré et Olivier H-190 was a biplane flying boat aircraft designed and produced by the French aircraft manufacturer Lioré et Olivier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potez X</span> 1920s French transport aircraft

The Potez X was a French 1920s general-purpose colonial transport aircraft designed and built by Potez.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romano R.90</span> Type of aircraft

The Romano R.90 was a prototype single-seat French floatplane fighter of the 1930s. A single example of the R.90 was built, but the type did form the basis of the Romano R.83 and Romano R.92 fighters which were built in secret for the Spanish Republicans during the Spanish Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blériot-SPAD S.91</span> Type of aircraft

The Blériot-SPAD S.91 was a French light-weight fighter aircraft. It would be later developed into the Blériot-SPAD S.510, the last biplane produced by the French aeronautic industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanriot H.34</span> Type of aircraft

The Hanriot H.34 was a basic trainer designed in France in 1924 which did not reach production. It was a parasol wing aircraft, seating two in tandem.

The Gourdou-Leseurre GL-820 HY family of four-seat single-engined floatplanes were designed and built in France during the latter half of the 1930s by Gourdou-Leseurre. The GL-820 HY and GL-821 HY 02 were shipborne reconnaissance / observation aircraft, while the sole GL-821 HY was built as a torpedo carrier.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 Parmentier, Bruno (3 December 2000). "Potez 25". Aviafrance (in French). Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  2. ↑ Parmentier, Bruno (7 July 2011). "Potez 25.8". Aviafrance (in French). Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  3. ↑ Parmentier, Bruno (24 March 2008). "Potez 25.12". Aviafrance (in French). Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  4. ↑ Parmentier, Bruno (24 March 2008). "Potez 25.23". Aviafrance (in French). Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  5. ↑ Parmentier, Bruno (24 March 2008). "Potez 25.44". Aviafrance (in French). Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  6. ↑ Parmentier, Bruno (24 March 2008). "Potez 25.47". Aviafrance (in French). Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  7. 1 2 Parmentier, Bruno (25 November 2007). "Potez 25 G.R." Aviafrance (in French). Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  8. ↑ Parmentier, Bruno (24 March 2008). "Potez 25 TOE". Aviafrance (in French). Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  9. ↑ Andersson 2009, p. 279.
  10. ↑ Andersson 2009, pp. 68, 275.
  11. ↑ Andersson 2009, pp. 85–86, 279.
  12. ↑ Borja, Elizabeth (27 February 2021). "The Dream of Abyssinia: Two Black Aviators and Ethiopia". National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  13. ↑ Morareau 1991, p. 19
  14. ↑ "Greek Potez". www.ww2incolor.com. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  15. ↑ Niccoli 1998, p. 23.
  16. ↑ Kotelnikov, Kulikov & Cony 2001, pp. 54–55

Bibliography

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.