Bloch MB.220

History

Marcel Bloch founded Societe des Avions Marcel Bloch (better known today as "Dassault") in 1928. The group became a major player in the French national aviation industry in the 1930s and before World War II (1939-1945). One of its prewar developments - seen in service in conflict - became the Bloch MB.

220.

MB. The 220 was designed as a passenger aircraft (passenger aircraft) with a twin-engine design. The appearance of the aircraft is consistent with that era: low monoplane wings, short nose ahead of the cockpit and a single tail fin. The aircraft also received a trailing undercarriage. For power, the company partnered with Gnome-Rhone to install 14N series air-cooled radial piston engines, each producing 985 horsepower.

These will be fixed in wing nacelles, one per wing unit. In addition to a crew of four (including two pilots), the aircraft has a transport capacity of up to 16 passengers.

Dimension MB. The 220 has a length of 63 feet and a wingspan of 74.10 feet. It has a curb weight of 15,000 pounds and a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 20,945 pounds. Performance includes a top speed of 205 mph, a range of up to 870 miles and a service ceiling of 23,000 feet.

The first flight as a prototype took place in December 1935. Air France became the original customer, launching 16 production-quality aircraft in 1938.

With the start of the war in 1939, the series was adopted by the French Air Force (as a basic transport), although only the 17 airframes mentioned were all completed and the use of this stock was between the Free French, French and German Armed Forces time in the air.

Only a handful of five remained before the end. In the post-war period, these were converted into American Wright R-1820-97 Cyclone engines and redesignated MB. 221. In addition, the series went into aviation history in the following years.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes