airplane Archives - Page 8 of 53 - Destination's Journey

Bloch MB.130 Reconnaissance Aircraft

Bloch MB.130 Reconnaissance Aircraft

The Bloch MB.130 was designed in response to a French Air Staff requirement for a fast multi-seat BCR (bomber, combat, reconnaissance) aircraft. First flying on 8 June 1934 at Villacoublay It was designated the MB.130 A. It was powered by two 760hp Gnome-Rhône 14 Kdrs engines and fitted with a fixed, trousered undercarriage.

After a series of tests, it was modified to incorporate a retractable undercarriage, 870hp Gnome-Rhône 14 Kirs/Kjrs engines and a ventral turret extended to the rear. The modified aircraft, redesignated MB 130 B, flew on 3 April 1935.

The Bloch MB.310 did not enter production, as the French Air Force decided to focus on specialised aircraft for different roles. Bloch used the basic airframe from the MB.130 to develop the more advanced MB.311.

Seversky XP-41

Developed for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC), the Seversky XP-41 was a single-seat fighter aircraft. The last production Seversky P-35 was modified by adding a new streamlined canopy, a Pratt & Whitney R-1830-19 engine with a two-speed supercharger, and revised landing gear. First flying in March 1939 it was developed in parallel with the P-43 Lancer, and work was stopped when the USAAC showed a preference for the latter.

Vultee XA-41 Dive Bomber

Vultee XA-41

Originally designed as a dive-bomber, the role of the Vultee XA-41 was changed to a low level attack aircraft when the USAAF decided that dive bombers were too vulnerable. Changing priorities and the coming end of the Second World War saw the order for two prototypes changed to just one.

The only prototype first flew on 11 February 1944. It was used predominantly as an engine test bed for the R-4360, although the US Navy evaluated it against other attack aircraft (Douglas AD-1 Skyraider and Martin AM-1 Mauler). Engine tests continued until 1950 when the XA-41 was scrapped.