| Potez 220 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Reconnaissance aircraft |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Nord (SNCAN) |
| First flight | 7 April 1939 |
| Status | Prototype |
| Number built | 2 |
The Potez 220 was a prototype French twin-engined, three-seat reconnaissance and army cooperation aircraft. Two examples were built in 1939, but no production followed.
Design and development[]
On 6 February 1937, the French air ministry issued specification A.24 for a three-seat reconnaissance and army-cooperation aircraft.[1] To meet this requirement, the nationalised Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Nord (SNCAN), formed in January 1937 from ANF Les Mureaux, Potez, Chantiers Aéro-Maritimes de la Seine and parts of Breguet and Amiot,[2] gave the task to the design team inherited from Les Mureaux. Their design, the Potez 220[lower-alpha 1] was a twin-engined monoplane of all metal construction. The fuselage was an oval section monocoque, which accommodated the aircraft's crew of three, consisting of a pilot, a radio operator gunner and an observer, with a glazed gondola slung under the fuselage provided for the observer. It was powered by two 520 kW (700 hp) Gnome-Rhône 14M radial engines driving three-bladed propellers, which were fed from fuel tanks located within the wing. A retractable tailwheel undercarriage was fitted.[4][5]
The first prototype made its maiden flight at Sartrouville on 7 April 1939, with the second prototype following on 20 October that year. Performance was slightly better than the Potez 63.11 which had recently entered production in the reconnaissance role, while orders had also been placed for the much more powerful and better performing Bloch 174 and Martin 167F aircraft to meet the same requirement as the Potez 220. Development of the type was therefore abandoned.[6]
Specifications[]
Data from War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Eight: Bombers and Reconnaissance Aircraft[7]
General characteristics
- Crew: 3
- Length: 11.18 m (36 ft 8 in)
- Wingspan: 15.37 m (50 ft 5 in)
- Height: 3.67 m (12 ft 0 in)
- Wing area: 34.40 m2 (370.3 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 2,973 kg (6,554 lb)
- Gross weight: 4,511 kg (9,945 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × Gnome-Rhône 14M 4/5 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engines, 520 kW (700 hp) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 451 km/h; 243 kn (280 mph) at 4,000 m (13,120 ft)
- Range: 1,600 km; 864 nmi (994 mi)
- Time to altitude: 6.25 min to 4,000 m (13,120 ft)
Armament
- Guns:
- Bombs: four 50 kg (110 lb) bombs under wings
Notes[]
References[]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Potez. |
- Green, William (1967). War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Eight: Bombers and Reconnaissance Aircraft. London: Macdonald & Co..
- Gunston, Bill (2005). World Encyclopedia of Aircraft Manufacturers (Second ed.). Stroud, UK: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-3981-8.
- Breffort, Dominique; Jouineau, André. French Aircraft From 1939 to 1942: Vol.2: from Dewoitine to Potez. Paris: Histoire & Collections. ISBN 2-915239-49-5.
The original article can be found at Potez 220 and the edit history here.