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Loire-Nieuport LN.401/LN.411 (LN.40)

1939 WORLD WAR 2

History

Loire-Newport LN. 40/LN. The 401 series aircraft are carrier-based dive bombers developed for the French Navy before World War II. The first flight took place in 1938, and the system entered service the following year.

By the time Germany invaded France, about 23 copies were available, and subsequent operations proved the LN. The 401 was completely overtaken by their German rivals. Only 68 aircraft of this type were produced, and all further development and production ceased after the fall of France in May 1940.

Origin of LN. 40/LN. The 401 is derived from the development of the Nieuport 140.

Nieuport made a name for itself by producing some memorable fighter designs during World War I. Development of the Nieuport 140 began sometime in 1932, and the aircraft was intended for the French Navy as a dive bomber with a crew of two. In 1933, Newport became part of the Loire and the company name "Loire-Nieuport" was officially born.

Likewise, the Nieuport 140 is now "Loire-Nieuport LN. 140". The design review continued until two accidents - which killed her pilot - doomed the entire project.

However, all was not lost as the company continued to develop the more modern single-seat LN. 40 dive bombers to meet the requirements of the French Navy. By 1937, the French government had signed a contract with Liore-Nieuport to deliver a working prototype of its LN. 40 and pre-production aircraft for active evaluation.

First LN. The 40 made its maiden flight on July 6, 1938, with a successful carrier landing on Bern Hill. Despite some inherent flaws in the basic design - some of which have been corrected, including the elimination of the rear diving brake - the model was declared serviceable and soon delivered under the new production designation LN.

401. Production is carried out by SNCAO (Societe national des constructions aeronautiques de louest), which was formed in 1936 by the merger of the Breguet and Loire-Nieuport factories. SNCAO itself was acquired by Sud-Ouest (SNCASO) in 1941, which eventually became Sud Aviation in 1957.

Escadrille AC. 1 unit of the French Navy received 4 LN. The 401 trains in mid-1939. In practice, LN. The 401 turned out to be much slower than the French expected.

As a result, a newer and faster platform, with the Hispano-Suiza 12Y-51 engine and a shorter wingspan, was approved and discontinued under the LN designation. 42. During the development of this aircraft, the Navy type LN was ordered. 401 is activated. The French Army ordered a land-based variant called the LN.

411. As expected, this particular model has eliminated the navalized aspect of the LN. 401 includes folding wings and grappling hooks. Like the French Navy, the French Army was not too enthusiastic about their slow dive bombers and rejected them. These were transferred to the stables of the French Navy.

LN. The development of the 42 continued for some time, first hidden from German invaders and finally being tested at Toussus-le-Noble on August 24, 1945. Anyway, LN. 42 ended up falling prey to the scrap torch and was destroyed in 1947.

LN external. The 401 retains its unique look. It keeps the engines in the forward compartment, giving the plane a modern, streamlined appearance. The cockpit is located behind the engine and on the wings of an inverted Seagull monoplane. Under a three-part canopy, there are views of the surroundings, the pilot said.

Continuing the streamlined appearance, the fuselage is covered by a conventional fin with a vertical fin and two horizontal planes, each with a smaller vertical fin. All tail surfaces were truncated and sharp-edged, and the main vertical tail was originally designed to open and act as an air brake while diving.

The landing gear is a traditional "trail" arrangement, with two main gear legs and a small tail wheel. The main legs are semi-recessed in contoured nacelles below each wing assembly.

Armament is limited to a pair of 7.5mm Dahn machine guns and a 20mm cannon, and a bomb load of up to 496 lbs (single bomb).

Four main variants of this aircraft appeared. The first is the base LN. 40, which represents about seven pre-production aircraft. LN. 401 was the designation for the French Navy dive bomber, of which about 15 examples were built. LN. The 411 is the land-based version of the LN. The French Army does not have the 401 with naval equipment. A total of 45 examples of this type were produced. LN. The 402 is a single example variant with the more powerful Hispano-Suiza 12Y series engine.

The first flight took place on November 18, 1939.

LN. The 401 is powered by a Hispano-Suiza 12XCrs 12-cylinder V-engine that delivers up to 690 hp and drives a three-blade propeller system. Top speed is 236 mph and the range is 745 miles. The service ceiling is listed as 31,170 feet.

Once action is taken against Germany in northern France, LN. 401/LN. The 411 was clearly doomed. She was assigned to two escadrilles (or squadrons) - the first being AB. 2, the second becomes AB. 4 from the system rejected by the French army - at the time of the invasion. Twenty LN in a well-publicized attack on May 19, 1940. 401s/LN.

Of the 411 fired at the German column, 10 were shot down and 7 were damaged beyond repair. The surviving units were moved to southern France, where they continued to fight the Italian army through reconnaissance and naval escort operations.

Other planes went to North Africa and were put into storage.

When France finally surrendered, June 1940 marked the signing of an armistice with Germany - effectively killing any further legacies of the National Army. 401/LN. 411.