Loire 30

Loire 30
Role Night reconnaissance monoplane
National origin France
Manufacturer Loire
First flight 1932
Number built 1

The Loire 30 a.k.a.Loire 300 was a French three-seat night reconnaissance monoplane designed and built by Loire Aviation of St. Nazaire.[1]

Design and development

The Loire 30 was designed to meet a French Air Force requirement for a three-seat night reconnaissance aircraft.[1] It was a cantiliver high-wing monoplane and powered by three 230 hp (172 kW) Salmson 9Ab radial engines strut-mounted above the wing.[1] The pilot had an enclosed cockpit with an open cockpit at the nose and amidships, both fitted with pivot-mounted 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine-guns.[1] Only one Loire 30 was produced in 1932, but it failed to gain an order and was relegated to experimental use.[1]

Loire 301

After rejection in its original role, the sole Loire 30 / Loire 300 was modified with a very large windowless drum-shaped turret fitted in the nose and re-designated Loire 301. The purpose of the turret is uncertain; the favored theory of some references is an armored turret housing a large caliber gun; another theory is an airborne blind flying training simulator. To compensate the additional weight of the turret the central engine was moved backwards and inverted to drive a pusher propeller. This led to the unusual propulsion with two tractor and one pusher engines above the wings. Due to the turret resembling a type of copper laundry kettle commonly used at the time, the airplane was nicknamed la lessiveuse.[2]

Specifications (Loire 30)

Data from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft[1], Aviafrance:Loire 30[3]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 3
  • Length: 13.7 m (44 ft 11 in)
  • Wingspan: 22.15 m (72 ft 8 in)
  • Height: 4.96 m (16 ft 3 in)
  • Wing area: 64 m2 (690 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 2,510 kg (5,534 lb)
  • Gross weight: 3,760 kg (8,289 lb)
  • Powerplant: 3 × Salmson 9Ab 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 170 kW (230 hp) each
  • Propellers: 2-bladed metal variable-pitch airscrews

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 200 km/h (124 mph; 108 kn)

Armament

  • Guns: 2 × 7.7 mm (0.303 in) pivot-mounted machine guns

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Orbis 1985, p. 2377
  2. ↑ Parmentier, Bruno. "Loire 301, avion de reconnaissance par Aviafrance". Aviafrance. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  3. ↑ Parmentier, Bruno. "Loire 30, avion de reconnaissance par Aviafrance". Aviafrance. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
Bibliography

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


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