Latecoe 611 ( English Latécoère 611 ) - French four-engine reconnaissance and patrol flying boat of the period of the Second World War . The aircraft was created in a single copy, but was in service throughout the war, having managed to fight both on the side of the Vichy government and on the side of Free France .
| Latécoère 611 | |
|---|---|
| Type of | Reconnaissance and patrol flying boat |
| Manufacturer | Groupe latécoère |
| First flight | March 8, 1939 |
| Start of operation | 1940 |
| End of operation | 1947 |
| Operators |  French Navy Aviation |
| Units produced | one |
Content
Creation History
In May 1935, the headquarters of the French fleet issued a technical assignment for a flying boat - a long-range marine reconnaissance to replace the obsolete Breguet Br.521 . In accordance with the assignment by Groupe Latécoère , a freestanding monoplane with four Gnome-Rhone 14N radial engines and a twin-tail tail was created. Supporting wing flaps in flight were retracted by electric drive into the engine nacelles . The prototype was built in Biscarrosse and made its first flight on March 8, 1939. In December 1939, the French fleet placed an order for twelve modified Latécoère 612, which were supposed to be equipped with four Pratt & Whitney R-1830 radial engines. However, these aircraft were never built [1] .
Operation
On April 12, 1940, the boat was handed over to the naval aviation, calling it " Akhernar ". At the end of May 1940, the Late 611 flew to North Africa. According to the terms of the ceasefire, the aircraft was disarmed. On July 29, a boat anchored in Port Liote suffered damage to the bottom and water steering when another hydroplane crashed into it. After repair, the aircraft entered service with the fleet of the Vichy government , where it became part of the E4 squadron as a long-range reconnaissance [1] .
In November 1942, after the Allied invasion of North Africa, the 4E squadron joined the forces of Free France , patrolling the southern Atlantic Ocean. In October 1943, the squadron was deployed to the 7E flotilla. This piece used the Late 611 along with the English Sunderlands [1] .
The Late 611 aircraft was finally decommissioned in 1947 [2] .
Performance Specifications
Data Source: Green, William. Warplanes of the Second World War, Volume Five, Flying Boats
- Specifications
- Crew : 7 people
- Length : 27.06 m
- Wing span : 40.56 m
- Height : 7.65 m
- Wing Area: 195.1 m²
- Empty weight: 16 034 kg
- Curb weight: 26 555 kg
- Maximum takeoff weight : 31,065 kg
- Powerplant : 4 × Radial Gnome-Rhone 14N
- Engine power: 4 × 986
- Flight characteristics
- Maximum speed: 349 km / h
- Cruising speed : 180 km / h
- Practical range: 4250 km
- Practical ceiling : 6,500 m
- Armament
- Rifle-cannon: 4 x 7.5 mm Darn machine gun, 2 x 12.7 mm Browning machine gun in the dorsal turret, 1 x 12.7 mm Browning machine gun in the aft installation
- Combat load: 750 kg bombs
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 Green, William. Warplanes of the Second World War, Volume Five, Flying Boats. - London: Macdonald, 1968 .-- S. 27-29. - ISBN 0 356 01449 5 .
- ↑ Sky Corner: Late 611 .
Links
- Late 611 . Corner of the sky: aviation encyclopedia. Date of treatment March 17, 2017.