Sud-Ouest Bretagne
| S.O.30 Bretagne | |
|---|---|
| |
| SO.30P of the Aeronavale equipped with under-wing Palas auxiliary jets at Blackbushe Airport in 1955 | |
| Role | Airliner and military transport |
| Manufacturer | Sud-Ouest |
| First flight | 26 February 1945 |
| Primary users | Air France French Air Force |
| Number built | 45 |
The Sud-Ouest S.O.30 Bretagne was a 1940s French airliner built by Sud-Ouest.
Design and development[edit]
The Bretagne (Engl. "Brittany") was designed by a group of designers and engineers who were based at Cannes from May 1941 following the invasion of France. The design was for a medium capacity civil transport, a twin-engined mid-wing cantilever all-metal monoplane. The prototype (designated the S.O.30N) first flew on 26 February 1945.
Operational history[edit]
The initial production version was designated the S.O.30P Bretagne with two versions with different engines. The aircraft operated with a crew of five and could carry between 30 and 43 passengers. A cargo version (the S.O.30C) was produced, with a revised interior and strengthened floor and large cargo door. The aircraft was operated as an airliner, but mainly by the French military forces as a medium transport.
Some aircraft were fitted with two underwing Turbomeca Palas turbojet engines for auxiliary power. Other aircraft were used for engine-trials fitted with the SNECMA Atar 101 and licence-built Rolls-Royce Nene turbojets.
Variants[edit]
- S.O.30N
- Tailwheel undercarriage prototype, c/n 01 built after the 1940 armistice and stored till after the war. The second S.O.30R c/n 02 was built in 1946 and later converted to the S.O.30 Nene, jet powered airliner test-bed.
- S.O.30R Bellatrix
- Two prototypes of the nosewheel undercarriage production model.
- S.O.30C
- cargo version, one built with belly loading hatches.
- S.O.30P-1
- production version with Pratt & Whitney R-2800-B43 engines.
- S.O.30P-2
- production version with Pratt & Whitney R-2800-CA13 engines.
- S.O.30 Nene
- One aircraft converted from S.O.30R c/n 02 for use as a testbed, powered by two Rolls-Royce Nenes.
Operators[edit]
Military operators[edit]
Civil operators[edit]
Specifications (S.O.30P-2)[edit]
Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1953–54,[4] French Post-War Transport Aircraft[5]
General characteristics
- Crew: 4
- Capacity: 43 passengers
- Length: 18.95 m (62 ft 2 in)
- Wingspan: 26.9 m (88 ft 3 in)
- Height: 5.9 m (19 ft 4 in)
- Wing area: 86.2 m2 (928 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 14,000 kg (30,865 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 20,250 kg (44,644 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-CA18 18-cyl. air-cooled radial piston engines, 1,815 kW (2,434 hp) each for take-off with water injection
- Powerplant: 2 × Turbomeca Palas optional 1.47 kN (330 lbf) turbojet booster engines under the outer wings
- Propellers: 4-bladed constant-speed fully feathering propellers
Performance
- Maximum speed: 575 km/h (357 mph, 310 kn)
- Cruise speed: 438 km/h (272 mph, 237 kn)
- Range: 2,175 km (1,351 mi, 1,174 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 8,000 m (26,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: 6 m/s (1,200 ft/min)
See also[edit]
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
References[edit]
Notes[edit]
Bibliography[edit]
- Bridgeman, Leonard. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1953–54. London: Jane's All The World's Aircraft Publishing Company, 1953.
- Chillon, Jacques; Dubois, Jean-Pierre & Wegg, John (1980). French Post-War Transport Aircraft. Tonbridge, UK: Air-Britain. ISBN 0-85130-078-2.
- Gaillard, Pierre & Marchand, Alain (June 1988). "Le SO 30P Bretagne: la carrière civile (fin)" [The SO 30P: The Civilian Transport (End)]. Le Fana de l'Aviation (in French) (223): 42–46. ISSN 0757-4169.
- Gaillard, Pierre & Marchand, Alain (June 1990). "Le SO 30P Bretagne (3)" [The SO 30P Bretagne (3): dans le Armée de l'Air]. Le Fana de l'Aviation (in French) (247): 34–38. ISSN 0757-4169.
- Stroud, John. European Transport Aircraft since 1910. London: Putnam, 1966.
Further reading[edit]
- Bridgman, Leonard, ed. (1947). Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1947. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. pp. 141c–142c.