Sud-Est Languedoc

__NOTOC__ Infobox Aircraft
name=SE.161 Languedoc


caption=
type=Airliner
national origin=France
manufacturer=Sud-Est
designer=Marcel Bloch
first flight=1939
introduced=1946
retired=1964
status=
primary user=Air France
more users=
produced=
number built=
variants with their own articles=The Sud-Est SE.161 Languedoc was a French four-engined airliner developed from the Bloch MB.160. It was in service with Air France and the French military in the late 1940s and 1950s.

Design and development

Designed originally as the Bloch MB.161 a development of the earlier 12-passenger Bloch MB.160 the prototype, registered G-ARTV, first flew in September 1939. It had a slow development and the test flying was not completed until January 1942. The French Vichy government ordered the aircraft into production in December 1941. With the German invasion of southern France in 1942 the production of 20 aircraft for Air France and Lufthansa was slowed down.

After the liberation of France the provisional government authorised production to be resumed with the first series production aircraft, now designated the SE.161, first flying on 27 September 1945. Some of the delay is attributed to the workforces reluctant to complete the aircraft ordered by Germany in 1942.

The Languedoc was an all-metal four-engined lowing cantilever monoplane airliner with a twin-fin and rudder assembly. It had a crew of 5 and a standard cabin accommodation for 33 passengers, although this could be reduced to 24 and later increased to 44-seats in 1951. It had a retractable tailwheel landing gear and was powered by four 1150hp (858kW) Gnome-Rhône 14N 44/45 radial engines in wing-leading edge nacelles.

A total of 100 aircraft were built for Air France and for the French Air Force and Navy. The only export customer was the Polish airline LOT which bought five.

Operational history

The 161 was renamed the Languedoc before it entered service with Air France on the Paris to Algiers route from the 28 May 1946. By October they were withdrawn from service not only had they landing gear and engine problems but they were unable to operate in winter conditions. They re-entered service in 1947 re-engined with Pratt & Whitney R-1830 engines, de-icing equipment and cabin heating, the designation changing to SE.161.P7. The aircraft were soon familiar on the airlines European route network.

After the costly experience introducing the aircraft to service they were never as reliable as the Douglas DC-4 or Vickers Viscount and Air France arranged to sell off the aircraft to the French Military. Ten aircraft were converted with a large ventral gondola, observation windows and a ventral search radar for Search and Rescue operations which served for five years.

The Air Force also had new-build aircraft from the end of the production line, they were designated SE.161R and had Gnome-Rhône 14R engines with distinctive four-bladed propellers. They were used as transport aircraft from 1951 to 1955.

The largest military operator was the French Navy which operated 25 different aircraft over the years. The first aircraft were delivered in 1949 and used as long-range transports later aircraft would be used as flying classrooms for navigator and rear-crew training. The flying classrooms were modifed with both a nose-mounted radar and a ventral "dustbin" radar. The aircraft was withdrawn fron Naval service in 1959.

A small number of aircraft were used a flying testbeds including use as live airborne television relay for Charles de Gaulles Algerian visit in 1958. Four aircraft were used as motherships for experimental ram-jet aircraft.

The last Languedoc was withdrawn from service in 1964 unable to complete with American and British built airliners.

Variants

;Bloch 161-01:Prototype powered by four 900hp Gnome-Rhône 14N radial engines.;SE.161/1:Production aircraft with four 1150hp Gnome-Rhône 14N 44/45 radial engines, LOT aircraft were fitted with Gnome-Rhône 14N 54/55 engines and later re-engined with Gnome-Rhône 14N 68/69s. The French Navy aircraft were also fitted with Gnome-Rhône 14N 68/69s.;SE.161/P7:Re-engined Air France aircraft with four 1220hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830 SIC-3-G engines.

*Note on French engine designation even numbers (for example Gnome-Rhône 14N 68) were anti-clockwise and fitted on the starboard side, odd numbers (for example Gnome-Rhône 14N 69) were clockwise and fitted on the port side.

Operators

;EGY
*Misrair;FRA
*Air France
*French Air Force
*French Navy;LIB
*Air Liban;POL
*LOT;ESP
*Aviaco

pecifications (SE.161/1)

aerospecs
ref= [French Postwar Transport Aircraft, page 32]
met or eng?= met

crew=5
capacity=33
length m=24.26
length ft=79
length in=7
span m=29.39
span ft=96
span in=5
swept m=
swept ft=
swept in=
rot number=
rot dia m=
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width m=
width ft=
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height m=5.14
height ft=16
height in=10
wing area sqm=111.32
wing area sqft=1198
swept area sqm=
swept area sqft=
rot area sqm=
rot area sqft=
volume m3=
volume ft3=
aspect ratio=
empty weight kg=12651
empty weight lb=27891
gross weight kg=20577
gross weight lb=45320
lift kg=
lift lb=

eng1 number=4
eng1 type=Gnome-Rhône 14N 44/45 radial engines
eng1 kw= 1150
eng1 hp= 858
eng1 kn=
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max speed kmh=440
max speed mph=274
max speed mach=
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cruise speed mph=
range km=3200
range miles=1989
endurance h=
endurance min=
ceiling m=7200
ceiling ft=23616
glide ratio=
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ee also

aircontent
see also=
related=
*Bloch MB.160
*Bloch MB.162
similar aircraft=
sequence=
lists=

References

*
*cite book |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title= The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985)|year= |publisher= Orbis Publishing|location= |issn=
*cite book |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors=J.Chillon, J-P Dubois, J.Wegg|title=French Postwar Transport Aircraft|year= 1980|publisher= Air-Britain (Historian) Limited|location= Tonbridge, England|isbn=0 85130078 2