Comte AC-3

Comte AC-3
Role	Bomber/transport aircraft
Manufacturer	Comte
Primary user	Bolivian Air Force
Number built	1

The Comte AC-3 was a 1920s Swiss bomber/transport aircraft produced by Flugzeugbau A. Comte.

Design and development

The AC-3 was a high-wing semicantilever monoplane of mixed construction. It was fabric covered with a conventional tail unit. It had three open cockpits, one in the nose for a gunner or observer, one forward of the wing for a pilot, and one on the upper rear fuselage for a rear gunner. An unconventional engine layout had two 447 kW (600 hp) Hispano-Suiza inline piston engines in tandem supported on eight struts above the fuselage. The installation had to be high enough to allow clearance for the two (one pusher, one tractor) propellers above the fuselage. A hatch in the port side allowed cargo or troops to be carried in the main cabin.

Operators

 Bolivia

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: 3
• Length: 18 m (59 ft 0¾ in)
• Wingspan: 26 m (85 ft 3 in)
• Height: 6 m (19 ft 8¼ in)
• Wing area: 95 m² (1,022 ft²)
• Empty weight: 4000 kg (8,818 lb)
• Gross weight: 6500 kg (14,330 lb)
• Powerplant: 2 × Hispano-Suiza inline piston, 447 kW (600 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 210 km/h (130 mph)
• Range: 1500 km (932 miles)
• Service ceiling: 5300 m (17,390 ft)

References

• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing. 

See also