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Bloch MB.700

1940 WORLD WAR 2 X-PLANE

History

Like other world powers in the 1930s and 1940s, France at one point considered all-wood fighter jets due to growing concerns about wartime scarcity of natural resources, especially metals. In 1936, the French Air Ministry established a requirement that light single-seat fighter jets must be made primarily of wood and other non-critical materials.

Three notable entries were received from French industry players - Bloch, Arsenal and Caudron.

Andre Herbemont designed the "Type 700" for Bloch and built a prototype in Suresnes, now under the Societe Nationale de Construction Aeronautiques du Sud-Ouest (SNCASO) brand. The Model 700 was equipped with a Gnome-Rhone 14M-6 radial piston engine rated at 700 hp (takeoff power), driving a three-bladed propeller in the nose.

The plane's design lines were clean for its time, with the pilot sitting under a light-frame canopy near the midship. The "razor" spine provides the required interior volume at the expense of visibility at the rear of the aircraft.

The wings are usually straight with rounded tips, and the tail consists of a single vertical fin and a mid-mounted horizontal plane. "Trailing" landing gear was introduced, with the main legs retracting inwards into the wings.

The production combat form of this aircraft was intended to carry 2 x 20mm Hispano-Suiza HS. 404 series machine guns and 2 x 7.5mm MAC 1934 machine guns, all contained in the wings. However, this weapon modification was never introduced to the test aircraft.

The completed prototype was transported to Buc's proving grounds and made its maiden flight on April 19, 1940. World War II officially began on September 1, 1939, so there was a growing need to get aircraft into service quickly.

The prototype flew 50 minutes and performed wellit had an advertised top speed of 342 mph and a service ceiling of 28,550 feet. Fighters can stay in the air (without weapons) for about two hours.

A second prototype was planned but never built, and the German invasion of France in May 1940 ended all progress of this type. When Booker Field fell under German control, the only prototype of the promising fighter was destroyed for fear of being booby-trapped by the French.

Bloch MB. 700 size

Basic

Year:

1940

Status:

Cancel

Staff:

Production

[1 unit]:

Societe des Avions Marcel Bloch - France

Roles

- Fighter

- X-Plane / Development

Dimensions

Length:

24.08 ft (7.34 m)

Width:

29.20 ft (8.9 m)

Height:

11.15 ft (3.4 m)

Weight

Curb Weight:

990 kg

MTOW:

1,850 kg

(difference: +1,896 pt)

Performance

1 x Gnome-Rhone 14M-6 radial piston engine producing 700 hp and driving a three-bladed propeller in the nose.

Performance

Maximum Speed:

342 mph (550 km/h; 297 knots)

Service Limit:

28,543 ft (8,700 m; 5.41 mi)

Armor

Proposed (never adjusted):

2 x 20mm Hispano-Suiza HS. 404 machine guns.

2 x 7.5mm MAC 1934 machine guns on the wings.

Changes

MB. 700 - the name of the basic series; the only prototype was completed and flown, but was destroyed by the advancing Germans, who believed it was booby-trapped.