Bloch MB.135 French Bomber Prototype

The Bloch MB.135 made its maiden flight on 12 January 1939. A development of the Bloch MB.131, it was designed as a medium bomber for the French Air Force. Heavily redesigned, it bore little resemblance to the MB.131 it was derived from. It was developed in parallel with the twin-engined MB.134 bomber version.

Despite promising performance, it was not entered into production, as it did not represent a sufficient improvement of existing bombers (the LeO 45 and Amiot 350).

Bloch MB.134 French Bomber Prototype

The Bloch MB.134 made its maiden flight on 22 July 1939. A development of the Bloch MB.131, it was designed as a medium bomber for the French Air Force. Heavily redesigned, it bore little resemblance to the MB.131 it was derived from. It was developed in parallel with the four engined MB.135 bomber version.

A landing accident on 21 April 1940 resulted in seriously damage when a landing gear strut collapsed following the in-flight failure of a hydraulic fluid reservoir. With the fall of France it was not repaired and no further development took place.

Bloch MB.133 French Bomber Prototype

The Bloch MB.133 was a French bomber prototype based on the MB.131. It introduced a twin tail, and was powered by Hispano-Suiza 14 Aa radial engines. It proved inferior to more modern aircraft. It was converted to the MB 131 standard and handed over to the Air Force.

Following the failure of the MB.133, the Bloch design team developed two improved versions, the MB.134 and the four-engined MB.135.