Amiot 143

Infobox Aircraft
name = 143M
type = Medium bomber
manufacturer = Avions Amiot

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caption = 1/72 scale model from Smer kit
designer = Félix Amiot
first flight = 1931
introduced = July 1935
retired = 1944
status =
primary user = French Air Force
more users =
produced = 1935-1937
number built = 154
unit cost =
variants with their own articles = The Amiot 143M was a late 1930s French medium bomber originally conceived as a "multiplace de combat": an all-purpose aircraft which would be used as bomber, reconnaissance aircraft and escort fighter.

Design and development

Félix Amiot's 1925 design was selected in 1928 for production over rivals Bleriot 137, Breguet 410 and SPCA 30. The prototype designated Amiot 140 flew in 1931, but actual production of the aging design did not begin until 1935 and continued for lack of a replacement until March 1937.

Despite being of an ungainly two-tiered structure, slow and unmaneuverable, and of obsolescent architecture, the Amiot 143M was a sturdy plane which was popular with its pilots. Notable were the very thick wings whose engines were accessible in flight.

The Amiot 143M production model mounted a turret in the nose and dorsal turrets, both of which housed one or two 7.5 mm MAC 1934 MGs. In addition, a single 7.5mm MAC 1934 MGs was mounted in both fore and aft of the ventral bombing gondola.

Operational history

The Amiot 143M entered service in July, 1935. The design was already ten years old and was quite out of date. Nevertheless, 87 Amiot 143M were in the front line. 50 equipped four metropolitan groupes: GBs I/34 and II/34 in the north, GBs I/38 and II/38 in the East, and 17 equipped one African groupe as of 10 May, 1940.

During the Phoney War, Amiot 143M groupes carried out reconnaissance and leaflet raids over Germany. Upon the start of the Battle of France, the Amiot 143M was used in night attacks on German lines of communications. The most significant action involving the Amiot 143M was a daring daylight raid on German bridgeheads near Sedan took place on May 14, 1940. A force of thirteen planes from GBs I/34, II/34, and II/38 led by Commandant de Laubier encountered German Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters en route. Twelve bombers were destroyed.

By the time of the Armistice, the Amiot 143M had dropped a total of 523 tons of bombs. 53 Amiot 143Ms were in the Unoccupied Zone and 25 were in French North Africa. They were reorganized into GBs I/38 and II/38 and were used until July 1941 when they were replaced by LeO 451 bombers.

Some planes of the II/38 served as a transports for the French in Syria. This groupe later went over to the Allied side after their landings in Africa. The last Amiot 143M was retired from service in February 1944.

A few Amiot 143M are reported to have been commandeered by the Germans and used as transports. Only 11 planes were left in the Unoccupied Zone when it was occupied by the Germans in 1943, and only three were flightworthy.

Had the war gone on a little longer for France, it is likely that all of the Amiot 143M would have ended up in a training role, having been replaced by more modern bombers such as the Breguet 693. The obsolete plane was never intended to have such an important role come war time, but slow French production made its use necessary - often being pulled from training squadrons to shore up bomber groupes!

Variants

;Amiot 140:The first two prototypes.;Amiot 142:Revised prototype.;Amiot 142 (revised):Based on the third prototype, but fitted with different engines. One prototype only.;Amiot 143:Pre-production and production aircraft. 138 built.;Amiot 143.01:One prototype with counter-rotating engines.;Amiot 143M:Only production model, 148 built.;Amiot 144:Reduced wing area, added flaps and retractable undercarriage and no front turret, one prototype only.;Amiot 145:Amiot 144 with Hispano-Suiza 14A4 engines, never built.;Amiot 146:Amiot 144 with Gnome-Rhône 18Lars engines, never built.;Amiot 147:Derived from Amiot 144 with Hispano-Suiza 12Ydrs/frs engines.;Amiot 150BE:Reconnaissance, torpedo-bomber prototype, for use with the Aeronavale. Amiot 143 with 10% larger wing, interchangeable wheel or float landing gear, powered by two Gnome-Rhone radial piston engines. One prototype only.

Total production (including prototypes): 154

Operators

;flag|Croatia|1941
*Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia operated one. ;FRA
*Armee de l'Air operated 138 aircraft.;flag|Germany|Nazi
*Luftwaffe operated few captured aircraft.;POL
*Polish Air Forces on exile in France
** _fr. Groupe de Bombardement Marche Polonais

pecifications (Amiot 143)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=
crew=Five (pilot, co-pilot, navigator, bombardier, gunner)
capacity=
payload main=
payload alt=
length main= 18.3 m
length alt= 59 ft 11 in
span main= 24.5 m
span alt= 80 ft 5¾ in
height main= 5.7 m
height alt= 18 ft 7¾ in
area main= 100 m²
area alt= 1,080 ft²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 6,100 kg
empty weight alt= 13,450 lb
loaded weight main= 9,700 kg
loaded weight alt= 21,400 lb
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=

engine (prop)= Gnome et Rhône 14Kirs/jrs
type of prop=14-cylinder air-cooled radial engine
number of props=2
power main= 650 kW
power alt= 870 hp
power original=

max speed main= 310 km/h
max speed alt= 193 mph
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main= 1,200 km
range alt=720 miles
ceiling main= 7,900 m
ceiling alt= 25,920 ft
climb rate main= 279 m/s
climb rate alt= 915 ft/s
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
* Ferry Range: 2,000km (1,240 miles)
armament=
* 4-6 × 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine guns in nose and dorsal positions as well as in front and rear of gondola
* 880-1,600 kg (1,936-3,520 lb) of bombs
avionics=

References

*Breffort, Dominique & Jouineau, André. "French Aircraft from 1939 to 1942"
*Weal, Elke C., Weal, John A., Barker, Richard F. "Combat Aircraft of World War Two"

ee also

aircontent
related=

similar aircraft=
* Bristol Bombay
* Junkers Ju 86
* Heinkel 111B
* Martin B-10

sequence=

lists=
* List of aircraft of the Armée de l'Air, World War II
* List of bomber aircraft
see also=