Bloch MB.170

Bloch MB. 170 History

Many aircraft finally took part in the fall of France in May 1940. At this point in history, Germany claimed the lead in the number of available aircraft, most of which were used by neighboring France and were barely modern compared to their contemporaries. The best is the Dewoitine D. 520 monoplane (described in detail elsewhere on this page), it performed well in the French campaign, but its impact was minimal, and its presence was quickly overshadowed by the Messerschmitt Bf 109 surpassed, and were grown by experienced Luftwaffe pilots.

After six weeks of fighting, the French nation surrendered on June 25, 1940.

One of the types available for Armee de L'air is the Bloch "MB. 170". The design was based on the concept of the "reconnaissance attack bomber" of the French Air Service - an aircraft considered fairly modern by the standards of the time and one of the best in France at the outbreak of the war.

Its origins can be traced back to 1936, when the Department of the Air Force pushed for modernization efforts and sought a multi-role performer capable of both reconnaissance and attack missions. This more or less requires a twin-engine layout and multiple crews, and the aircraft will be given the performance (ie speed and range) for that role.

Societe des Avions Marcel Bloch (Bloch) developed plans for this aircraft, resulting in their MB. 170. The design team used a proven metal structure and skinned monoplane form, with each wing main wing element tuned to accommodate engines in a streamlined nacelle protruding from the leading edge of the wing. For balance reasons, the wing elements were mounted amidships, and a twin-fin tail was used.

A "trail" landing gear configuration (wheeled and retractable) was installed for ground operations, while the operator could be two or three people, depending on the desired role (bomber and reconnaissance, respectively).

The original prototype was designated "MB.170.01", an example of a two-seat hybrid reconnaissance attack aircraft that first flew on 15 February 1938. Power is provided by 2 Gnome-Rhone 14N air-cooled radial piston engines producing 970 hp and driving a three-bladed propeller unit.

The motion of the propeller imparts power and performance and counteracts naturally occurring torque for stable flight.

The aircraft has a 20mm Hispano-Suiza automatic cannon in the nose, 2 x 7.5mm MAC M1934 machine guns in the wings and one machine gun in the wing panels. To defend against rear threats, there is another rear-facing 7.5mm MAC-1934 turret on a trainable base, managed by a crew. Like the other larger aircraft of the period, the MB.

The 170 received a belly cupola/nacelle, this part was armed with a trainable MAC M1934 machine gun, unable to neutralize air threats from the rear.

The first prototype was followed by the three-seat light bomber form "MB.170.2", which had the belly position removed, the empennage enlarged to improve stability and control, and the canopy modified.

After testing the MB, the French authorities chose the overall design for service and serial production. 174. 01 Prototype. This entry features 2 x Gnome-Rhone 14N-49 series radials before turning attention to production grade MB. 174A. 3 with 56 examples. MB. The 174 was introduced in March 1940 and was used by the French Air Force as the successor to the aging, outdated Potez 637.

The same month saw its first operations, in which the platform proved itself to be a fast, powerful performer often just to fly over danger from the air.

Specification

Basics

Years of Service

1940

Origins

France

Status

retirement

does not work.

Crew

3

Production

230

Manufacturer

Societe des Avions Marcel Bloch (Bloch) - France

Operator

France; Nazi Germany (captured)

Roles

Ground attack (bombing, strafing)

The ability to conduct air strikes against ground targets using (but not limited to) artillery, bombs, rockets, rockets, etc.

Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR), reconnaissance

Monitor ground targets/target areas to assess surrounding threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

Notable Features

Strong Aircraft Frame

The inherent ability of the airframe to take significant damage.

inner bay

Hull volume includes space for internal weapons or special mission equipment.

High-speed performance

Can accelerate to higher speeds than the average aircraft at the time.

High performance

The ability to fly and operate at higher altitudes than the average aircraft of the day.

Extended range performance

Ability to travel long distances using on-board fuel supplies.

Super performance

The design covers the three key performance categories of speed, altitude and range.

Rating Process

A manual process to allow the pilot and/or crew to exit in the event of an onboard emergency.

Depression in crew members

Support the pressurization required for crew survival at higher operating altitudes.

Crew management

In addition to the pilot, the aircraft also employs additional crew members who specialize in specific functions on the aircraft.

Rifle positions

Defensive weapon location for attack/suppression.

rear gun

Defensive rear-facing gun emplacements to neutralize enemy targets coming from behind.

Closed crew room

There are partially or fully enclosed crew work areas.

Scalable

Has retractable/retractable landing gear to maintain aerodynamic efficiency.

Camera equipment

Payload supports photographic devices that provide still and/or live image/video results.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

40.2 feet

(12.25m)

Width/span

58. 8 feet

(17.92m)

Height

11.6 feet

(3.55m)

Cured weight

12,379 lbs

(5,615 kg)

MTOW

15,818 lbs

(7,175 kg)

Wgt Difference

+?3,439

(+1,560 kg)

MAINPLANE STRUCTURE

wing/low/straight

Monoplane

Designed to use a single main wing main aircraft; this is the most popular arrangement of main aircraft.

install low

The main aircraft is mounted low on the side of the fuselage.

Straight

Floor plans involve the use of simple, straight main plan elements.

(For structure description refer to production variant Bloch MB.174A.3)

Performance

Installed:

2 Gnome-Rhone 14N 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 1,035 hp each, driving three-blade propeller units.

Maximum speed

329 km/h

(530 km/h | 286 knots)

Cruising speed

286 km/h

(460 km/h | 248 knots)

Maximum speed difference

+43 km/h

(+70 km/h | 38 knots)

Maximum

36,089 feet

(11,000 m | 7 km)

Area

1,025 km

(1,650 km | 3,056 nautical miles)

rate of climb

2,385 ft/min

(727 m/min)

Range (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: > 19030

Weapons

Standard: 2 x 7.5mm MAC M1934 machine guns mounted on fixed forward mounts on the leading edge of the wing. 2 x 7.5mm MAC M1934 machine guns mounted on trainable dorsal fuselage brackets. 3 x 7.5mm MAC M1934 machine guns mounted on trainable rear-facing hull mounts.

Optional: Up to 880 lb conventional drop bombs inside; 6 x 50 lb bombs under the wings.