Potez 25

Potez 25 Stories

Potez started building aircraft in 1919 after the end of the First World War. His first job was to convert two military SEA IV fighter jets into civilian SEA VII camouflage.

This gave rise to a rich history, with the company producing aircraft during World War II (1939-1945) and the Cold War (1947-1991), eventually closing its doors in 1967, introducing a new modern biplane design called the "Potez 25" 'Before, it had a healthy lifespan, producing around 4,000 copies.

Beginning with the earlier Potez 15 biplane, the company's engineers wanted to create a larger, heavier, more powerful version suitable for a variety of battlefield roles. The improved aircraft was built using a Hispano-Suiza 12Ga W-12 series engine from a prototype known as "1925 Experimental", which produced 451 horsepower. The plane carried two crew members sitting aft of the upper wing elements in a pair of open-air cockpits. The span of the wing main aircraft is uneven (half-wing), the upper part is significantly wider than the lower part, and the corresponding parallel struts form a single-cabin arrangement.

The wheeled landing gear was fixed in flight (the tail slide formed the tail), and the nose-mounted engine drove a two-bladed wooden propeller as usual. Traditionally, the empennage has been a single vertical fin arrangement with the horizontal plane above the rear side of the fuselage.

The prototype was completed in 1924, a year that also saw its first recorded flight. By 1925, the aircraft had undergone more extensive testing and proved its capabilities to the French Air Force authorities, who ordered it to be put into mass production for a reconnaissance role.

The second form was developed as a bomber reconnaissance platform.

Standard armament became 2 x 7.7mm machine guns, mounted on fixed forward mounts in the upper part of the forward fuselage, and a single 7.7mm machine gun on a trainable mount in the rear cockpit. Bombers can carry up to 200 kilograms of airdrops.

With a glut of post-military aircraft on the post-World War I world market, Potez faced the challenge of selling its new large biplane to easily interested parties. Therefore, it is customary to introduce this type in various flying competitions around the world to show the true potential of the design.

This enabled the Potez 25 to take first place in several mainly European air competitions, and with the marketing strategy in Potez's favor, the Potez 25 became a successful business venture for the French aircraft manufacturer.

Of the 4,000 Potez 25 systems built, 2,500 were made in France alone, with the rest being taken over by foreign operators from Afghanistan to Belgium and Uruguay to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Croatia managed to capture 42 aircraft from the Yugoslav Air Force. The Soviet Union tested the aircraft with two prototypes, but opted for a local design based on their needs. The series is also used by the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC), while the Polish Air Force has built 300 aircraft in Poland.

Paraguay used the series in the Chaco war against Bolivia, and a Finnish example for evaluation had a staggering 700 hours in the air.

The

Potez 25 has seen a plethora of names associated with the series - the main difference being their respective engine modifications - starting with the standard two-seat observation variant, the Potez 25 A.2. These come with a Salmson 18CmB or Lorraine 12Eb engine suitable for 520 hp. The Potez 25.5 is the version equipped with the Renault 12Jb, and the 100 is built to this standard.

The Potez 25.8 became a reconnaissance bomber powered by a 500 hp Farmmann 12Wc W-12 engine. There are various other designs, including a two-seater trainer (Potez 25.55) of which 40 were built, a long-range model (like the Potez 25GR) with a 450hp Lorraine 12Eb W-12 engine and a prototype seaplane (Potez 25H - two One will be built with a Gnome-Rhone Jupiter radial piston engine).

The

Potez 25 design was officially phased out in the 1940s and entered service with about 20 Air Forces and was successful on the private market before the end.

Specification

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