| Loire-Nieuport 10 | |
|---|---|
 Wind tunnel model of the Loire-Nieuport 10 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Long-range maritime reconnaissance floatplane |
| Manufacturer | Loire-Nieuport |
| Primary user | French Navy |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| First flight | 21 July 1939 |
TheLoire-Nieuport 10 was a 1930sFrench prototype long-range maritime reconnaissance and combatfloatplane produced by Loire-Nieuport, a joint venture betweenLoire Aviation andNieuport-Delage. It was an attempt to answer the requirements for the Navy's programmeHydravion éclaireur de combat ("Combat reconnaissance seaplane") for a large floatplane capable of acting as atorpedo bomber or reconnaissance aircraft.
Design of the Loire-Nieuport 10 started in 1937, with the resultant aircraft being a twin-enginedmonoplane of all-metalstressed-skin construction withinverted gull (or W-shaped) wings. It was powered by two Gnome-Rhône 14Nradial engines mounted above the wings, with the twin large floats on pylons under the wing, directly beneath the engines. The deep fuselage accommodated a crew of six, with pilot and co-pilot seated in tandem, while a glazed nose was provided for the bomb-aimer/navigator. Defensive armament was amachine gun in the nose, with another firing through a ventral hatch, and a 20 mm cannon in a dorsal turret, while it could carry two torpedoes or 1,200 kg (2,700 lb) of bombs in an internal bomb-bay.[1]
The prototype Loire-Nieuport 10, the L.N.10-01, first flew atSaint-Nazaire on 21 July 1939.[1] However, on 10 December 1939, the programme was cancelled as the French Navy had decided to use land based aircraft instead, with no production following of either the LN.10 or its competitors. It was destroyed atBordeaux in June 1940 to prevent capture by German troops.[2]
The fuselage of the Loire-Nieuport 10 was used for theSNCAO 700 four-engined bomber prototype, of which a prototype was built but failed to fly due to theArmistice.[3]
Data from War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Six, Floatplanes[2]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
