Breguet 521
The Breguet 521 Bizerte was a flying boat of the French manufacturer Breguet in sesquiplane construction for long-range reconnaissance.
History
The Bizerte was a development of the Short Calcutta, for which construction Breguet 1931, the license rights had received. The development was carried out in 1932 on the basis of a tender of the French Navy for a long-distance flying boat. The prototype first flew on Br.521.01 September 11, 1933, the flight test lasted until September 1934. This involved some improvements, as received, for example, the first undisguised engines NACA hoods. On 1 April 1935, the first machine was handed over for use in testing the 1E2 Escadrille of the French naval aviation.
In 1934 a Vorserienlos was commissioned on three machines, the first copy finished his initial operational testing in October 1935 in Le Havre. In the second machine further changes were made, this included the extension of the glass cockpit design and the elimination of open Bugwaffenstation. Instead of the local 20 mm cannon one double -MG was mounted in arms stands on the fuselage sides forward of the wing leading edge.
There were some small series issued orders, the seventh machine in March 1936 and the twelfth was delivered before the end of 1936. The twelfth Bizerte received three Hispano-Suiza 14AA engines and carried the designation Br.522, but remained the only machine in this configuration. Another nine machines were commissioned on November 30, 1936, followed by three copies on 18 October 1937. Overall, by the end of 1938 30 copies were produced. On August 15, 1940 for 20 Bizerte were in the French navy in use.
After the German occupation of Vichy France, the German air force confiscated a total of eight Bizerte and put them out of Lorient and Saint Mandrier for rescue operations a.
Construction
The Bizerte was an all-metal construction with the total fuel supply in the lower wing and three 14 -cylinder radial engines Gnome- Rhône, each with 900 hp. The hull was in two stages and keeled, with three box - main formers who were planked up with duralumin and at the bottom with steel plate. Two -stage support swimmers were located at the ends of the lower wing. There was a laundry room, a kitchen, four beds and a fresh water tank.
The Bizerte was a sesquiplane, upper wing and lower wing joined the left and on the right two parallel struts, four more double struts were placed between the upper wing and the three elevated on the under-wing engines. Up to the front spar the wings were blechbeplankt, the rest was covered with fabric. Only the upper wing there was ailerons. The tail unit was self-supporting, supported from stoffbespanntem duralumin with N- struts.