Breguet 730

infobox Aircraft
name = Br.730/Br.731
type = Reconnaissance Flying Boat
manufacturer = Breguet


caption =
designer =
first flight = 1938
introduced = 1945
introduction=
retired = 1954
status =
primary user = French Navy
more users =
produced =
number built = 5
unit cost =
developed from =
variants with their own articles = The Breguet 730 was a French flying boat of the 1930s. Built to meet the requirements of the French Navy, it was ordered into production but no aircraft were delivered before France surrendered to Germany in June 1940. Four remaining incomplete airframes were completed after the end of World War II, serving with the French Navy until 1954.

Development

The French Navy issued a specification for a new long range flying boat to replace the obsolete Breguet Bizerte in May 1935. Breguet designed a large four engined flying boat to meet the requirement, the Breguet 730, competing against designs by Latécoère (the Latécoère 611), Lioré et Olivier (the LeO H-440) and Potez-CAMS (the Potez-CAMS 141).

The first prototype, the Br.730-01, powered by four Gnome-Rhône 14N engines, flew on 4 April 1938 at Le Havre.cite book |last= Green |first=William |title=Warplanes of the Second World War, Volume Five, Flying Boats |year= 1968|publisher= Macdonald|location=London|pages= pp. 10–2 |isbn= 356 01449 5 ] It was wrecked, however, on 16 July 1938 when it attempted to land in shallow water. Despite this setback, however, an order for four production aircraft was placed, followed by a contract for unlimited production on the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939. This order was cut in early 1940 when it realised that attrition of maritime patrol aircraft was very low.

Operational history

No production aircraft had been completed when France surrendered on June 22 1940, when production was suspended. It was restarted by the Vichy government, with the wing of the wrecked prototype being combined with the hull of the first production machine to produce the Br. 730 No.1, which was ready to fly when the German invasion of Vichy France prevented testing. Production of the remaining eleven aircraft continued extremely slowly under German occupation, with eight being destroyed in an Allied air raid on April 6 1944.

The Br.730 No.1 was finally flown for the first time in December 1944, after the Germans retreated from the South of France. This aircraft, named "Véga", was delivered to the French Navy, who used it as a long range transport in April 1945 cite web |url= http://www.netmarine.net/aero/bases/stmandrier/histoire/histoire04.htm |title=Histoire de la BAN Saint-Mandrier (1944-1950) |accessdate=2008-01-08|language=French |format= |work= ] , with a second Br.730 ("Sirius") completed in May 1946. The remaining two aircraft ("Altair" and "Bellatrix") were completed with redesigned nose, new floats and more powerful engines, and were designated Br.731.

"Véga" was destroyed in a crash in January 1949, with a second aircraft being destroyed in 1951. cite web |url= http://www.netmarine.net/aero/bases/stmandrier/histoire/histoire05.htm|title=Histoire de la BAN Saint-Mandrier (1951-1959) |language=French |accessdate=2008-01-08 |format= |work= ] . The last Br.731 was retired on January 20 1954.

Variants

;Br.730-01:Prototype. Powered by four 753 kW (1,010 hp) Gnome-Rhône 14N 2/3 engines.;Br.730:Production version. Powered by four 835 kW (1,120 hp) Gnome-Rhône 14N 44/45 engines. Two built.;Br.731:Modified nose and floats. Powered by 1,007 kW (1,350 hp) Gnome-Rhône 14R 200/201 engines. Two built.

Operators

*French Navy

pecifications (Br.730 No.01)

aircraft specifications

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop

ref=Warplanes of the Second World War, Volume Five, Flying Boats
crew=10
capacity=
length main= 24.38 m
length alt= 79 ft 11½ in
span main= 40.37 m
span alt= 132 ft 5 in
height main= 8.60 m
height alt= 28 ft 2 in
area main= 173.1 m²
area alt= 1862 ft²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 16,134 kg
empty weight alt= 35,494 lb
loaded weight main= 28,660 kg
loaded weight alt= 62,831 lb
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=
engine (prop)=Gnome-Rhône 14N-44/45
type of prop= 14 cylinder radial
number of props=4
power main= 836 kW
power alt= 1,120 hp
power original=
max speed main= 330 km/h
max speed alt= 178 knots, 205 mph
cruise speed main= 230 km/h
cruise speed alt= 124 knots, 143 mph
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main= 6,923 km
range alt= 3,739 NM, 4,300 mi
ceiling main= 6,000 m [ cite web |url=http://www.samoloty.ow.pl/str237.htm |title= Breguet Bre-730/731|accessdate=2007-12-16 |language= Polish]
ceiling alt= 19,700 ft
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main= 165 kg/m²
loading alt= 33.7 lb/ft²
thrust/weight=
power/mass main= 117 W/kg
power/mass alt= 0.071 hp/lb
more performance=
*Climb to 3,000 m (9,800 ft): 9 min
*Endurance: 30 hours
armament=
avionics=

ee also

aircontent

related=
similar aircraft=
*Latécoère 611
*Potez-CAMS 141
sequence=
lists=*List of seaplanes and flying boats
see also=

References

External links

* [http://www.aviafrance.com/789.htm Breguet Br 730]
* [http://www.aviafrance.com/1887.htm Breguet Br 731]