Bloch MB.162

National origin: France
Manufacturer: Société des Avions Marcel Bloch
First flight: 1 June 1940
Introduction: 1943
Primary user: Luftwaffe
Number built: 1

The Bloch MB.162 was a French four-engine, long-range bomber developed by Société des Avions Marcel Bloch in the late 1930s.While only a single prototype was built, after capture by German forces, it was impressed into service with the Luftwaffe as a transport.

Development

Developed from the speedy MB.160 long-range civil transport, the MB.162 was originally developed as a mail plane. The MB.162 01 bomber prototype first flew in June 1940 and was captured subsequent to the Armistice. Had the MB.162 entered production in 1941 as planned, it would have been a fine and fast heavy bomber for the French, somewhat analogous to the B-17 but much faster and less well armed.

Operational history

The MB.162 did not fly a single combat mission, nor did the MB.162 B.5 production model ever enter production. The prototype was used by the Luftwaffe in I/KG 200 for clandestine affairs during 1943-1944.

Variants

MB.160
civil transport prototype, 3 built
MB.162 Raid
mailplane version
MB.162.01
prototype, one built
MB.162 Bn.5
Production model - never produced
SE.161 Languedoc
Civil transport, post-war production model, 100 built.

Military operators

France

Armee de l'Air (Post war)

Germany

Luftwaffe

Specifications (MB.162 B5)

Data from War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Seven

General characteristics

Crew: Five
Length: 21.91 m (71 ft 10½ in)
Wingspan: 28.10 m (92 ft 2 in)
Height: 3.76 m (12 ft 4 in)
Wing area: 109 m² (1,173 ft²)
Empty weight: 11,890 kg (26,158 lb)
Loaded weight: 19,040 kg (41,888 lb)
Powerplant: 4 x— Gnome-Rhx´ne 14N-48/49 14-cylinder two-row air cooled radial engine, 821 kW (1,100 hp) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 551 km/h (297 kn, 342 mph) at 5,500 m (18,045 ft)
Range: 2,399 km (1,296 nmi, 1,490 mi)
Service ceiling: 9,000 m (29,530 ft)
Wing loading: 175 kg/m² (35.7 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.17 kW/kg (0.11 hp/lb)
Climb to 2,000 m (6,560 ft): 5 min 48 sec
Climb to 5,000 m (16,400 ft): 18 min

Armament

Guns: 2 x— 7.5 mm (.295 in) MAC 1934 machine guns in nose and ventral positions
2 x— 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon in ventral and dorsal positions
Bombs: 3,600 kg (7,940 lb) of bombs

Related development

MB.220
SNCASE Languedoc

Bibliography

Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War: Bombers and Reconnaissance Aircraft, Volume Seven. London: Macdonald, 1967.

Bloch MB.162 Pictures

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Source: WikiPedia