Let Let Let – Warplanes

Lioré et Olivier H.47 and H.470

Based on Ministère de l’Air requirements for a fast flying boat for transport of mail and passengers on the African Dakar-Natal South Atlantic route the Lioré et Olivier works designed in 1934 a very advanced all-metal flying boat under the type designation H.47. It was a design with a parasol wing housing four engines in two centre-wing nacelles each driving a tractor and pusher propeller. Extreme care was taken in aerodynamic properties of the wing surface/engine installation and hydrodynamic properties of the fuselage. Both were designed separately by M. Mercier and M. Benoit, respectively. The prototype was built in the Argenteuil plant and final assembly for flight testing took place in Antibes. The first flight of the LeO H.47 took place on 25 July 1936. During the test flight program the H.47 fulfilled all expectations on performances and handling and on 1 March 1937 Air France placed an order for five additional machines. However, on 19 May 1937 the plane sank after a structural failure of the hull.

The production model for Air France, designated as H.470, was built in the Sud-Est works at Vitrolles and the first one made its maiden flight on 23 July 1938. At the outbreak of the war it still was under testing and, together with the four other machine still under construction, it was taken over by the Aéronavale as a long-range maritime patrol flying boat. The H.470.01 flew originally in more or less the same configuration as the first H.47, but it was soon militarised with armament, provision for a bomb load and a glazed nose section. The H.470 was fitted with four 7.5 mm Darne machine guns on flexible mountings in the fuselage with provision of four bombs of 150 kg All other four H-470’s were of course also fitted with military equipment.

The H.470’s were used for military purposes at the naval Escadrilles 11E and 9E, but lack of spared resulted eventually in a short operational career. The last H.470 was scrapped in 1943.

Technical details (H.47):

Power plants: four Hispano-Suiza 12Ydrs liquid-cooled V-12 in-line engines of 880 hp each
Dimensions: wingspan 31.80 m
length 21.20 m
height 7.10 m
wing area 135 m2
Weights: empty 10 465 kg
all-up loaded 19 731 kg
Performances: max. speed 360 km/h
range 3200 km
service ceiling 7000 m
Equipment: crew of five with capacity for 4-8 passengers and a payload of 1320 kg

Lioré & Olivier H.246

To meet the requirements of 1935 for a flying boat for use in the Mediterranean the Lioré & Olivier works designated and built under the type designation H.246 a 4-engined flying boat with a metal hull and a wooden wing. Layout and construction was for that time advanced with a high wing, four engines fitted in the wing leading edge and two spanned fixed wing floats. The new flying boat made its first flight from the Berre lake on 30 September 1937. Although the flight trials were not yet completed Air France ordered on 31 January 1938 six production models known as the H.246.1. The prototype H.246 was severely damaged during rough water trials in January 1939. After this accident the hull was strengthened and the plane was later used by Air France on the same routes as the other operational machines. The assigned civil registration of the first plane was F-AOUJ and the name it carried was Maroc.

The six production H.246.1 flying boats were:

c/n 402 F-AREI Sénégal
c/n 403 F-AREJ Mauritanie
c/n 404 F-AREK (unnamed)
c/n 405 F-AREL Oranie
c/n 406 F-AREM Algérie
c/n 407 F-AREN Tunisie

F-AREK was impressed for military service at the Aeronavale and never carried any name, but the other five were used by Air France on the Marseille-Algiers route until November 1942.

Four of the H.426.1’s were confiscated by the Germans and used as military transport flying boats. Also the navalized and armed F-AREK fell into German hands. It was eventually destroyed during an allied air raid near Lyon in the spring of 1944. Only F-AREJ and F-ATEL survived the war. They were used by Air France until September 1946, having logged some 1000-1500 flying hours.

Technical details (LeO H.246):

Power plants: four Hispano-Suiza 12Xirs V-12 liquid-cooled engines of 720 hp each
Dimensions: wingspan 31.72 m
length 21.17 m
height 7.15 m
wing area 131 m2
Weights: empty 10,290 kg
all-up loaded 16,280 kg
Performances: max. speed 335 km/h
range 1500 km
service ceiling 7800 m
Equipment: accommodation for 14 passengers. The militarised version had an armament of four 7.5 mm Darne machine guns in the fuselage with provision to carry four bombs of 150 kg.

Related posts:

1. Dutch flying boats and amphibians
2. German flying boats Part 1: 1914-1935
3. German flying boats Part 2: 1935-2000
4. Vanneau history
5. The Kawasaki Ki-78 KEN III research plane

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