The Sud-Ouest S.O.30 Bretagne was a 1940s French airliner built by Sud-Ouest.

S.O.30 Bretagne
SO.30P of the Aeronavale equipped with under-wing Palas auxiliary jets at Blackbushe Airport in 1955
General information
TypeAirliner and military transport
ManufacturerSud-Ouest
Primary usersAir France
Number built45
History
First flight26 February 1945

Design and development

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The Bretagne (Engl. "Brittany") was designed by a group of designers and engineers who were based at Cannes from May 1941 following the invasion of France. The design was for a medium capacity civil transport, a twin-engined mid-wing cantilever all-metal monoplane. The prototype (designated the S.O.30N) first flew on 26 February 1945.

Operational history

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The initial production version was designated the S.O.30P Bretagne with two versions with different engines. The aircraft operated with a crew of five and could carry between 30 and 43 passengers. A cargo version (the S.O.30C) was produced, with a revised interior and strengthened floor and large cargo door. The aircraft was operated as an airliner, but mainly by the French military forces as a medium transport.

Some aircraft were fitted with two underwing Turbomeca Palas turbojet engines for auxiliary power. Other aircraft were used for engine-trials fitted with the SNECMA Atar 101 and licence-built Rolls-Royce Nene turbojets.

Variants

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S.O.30N
Tailwheel undercarriage prototype, c/n 01 built after the 1940 armistice and stored till after the war. The second S.O.30R c/n 02 was built in 1946 and later converted to the S.O.30 Nene, jet powered airliner test-bed.
S.O.30R Bellatrix
Two prototypes of the nosewheel undercarriage production model.
S.O.30C
cargo version, one built with belly loading hatches.
S.O.30P-1
production version with Pratt & Whitney R-2800-B43 engines.
S.O.30P-2
production version with Pratt & Whitney R-2800-CA13 engines.
S.O.30 Nene
One aircraft converted from S.O.30R c/n 02 for use as a testbed, powered by two Rolls-Royce Nenes.

Operators

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Military operators

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  France

Civil operators

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  Algeria
  France
  Iran
  Morocco

Specifications (S.O.30P-2)

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Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1953–54,[4] French Post-War Transport Aircraft[5]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 4
  • Capacity: 43 passengers
  • Length: 18.95 m (62 ft 2 in)
  • Wingspan: 26.9 m (88 ft 3 in)
  • Height: 5.9 m (19 ft 4 in)
  • Wing area: 86.2 m2 (928 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 14,000 kg (30,865 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 20,250 kg (44,644 lb)
  • Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-CA18 18-cyl. air-cooled radial piston engines, 1,815 kW (2,434 hp) each for take-off with water injection
  • Powerplant: 2 × Turbomeca Palas optional 1.47 kN (330 lbf) turbojet booster engines under the outer wings
  • Propellers: 4-bladed constant-speed fully feathering propellers

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 575 km/h (357 mph, 310 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 438 km/h (272 mph, 237 kn)
  • Range: 2,175 km (1,351 mi, 1,174 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 8,000 m (26,000 ft)
  • Rate of climb: 6 m/s (1,200 ft/min)

See also

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Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Stroud 1966, p. 203.
  2. ^ a b c d Stroud 1966, p. 202.
  3. ^ Stroud 1966, pp. 202–203.
  4. ^ Bridgman 1953, pp. 152–153.
  5. ^ Chillon, Dubois & Wegg 1980, pp. 23–25

Bibliography

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  • Bridgeman, Leonard. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1953–54. London: Jane's All The World's Aircraft Publishing Company, 1953.
  • Chillon, Jacques; Dubois, Jean-Pierre & Wegg, John (1980). French Post-War Transport Aircraft. Tonbridge, UK: Air-Britain. ISBN 0-85130-078-2.
  • Gaillard, Pierre & Marchand, Alain (June 1988). "Le SO 30P Bretagne: la carrière civile (fin)" [The SO 30P: The Civilian Transport (End)]. Le Fana de l'Aviation (in French) (223): 42–46. ISSN 0757-4169.
  • Gaillard, Pierre & Marchand, Alain (June 1990). "Le SO 30P Bretagne (3)" [The SO 30P Bretagne (3): dans le Armée de l'Air]. Le Fana de l'Aviation (in French) (247): 34–38. ISSN 0757-4169.
  • Stroud, John. European Transport Aircraft since 1910. London: Putnam, 1966.

Further reading

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  • Bridgman, Leonard, ed. (1947). Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1947. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. pp. 141c–142c.