The Amiot 354 was actually a quite capable French-designed bomber that was of little use in the defense of France. By Staff Writer
The Amiot 354 bomber and reconnaissance platform was a quite capable aircraft when war broke out over France. The system had its origins based on the unarmed fast transport mail carrier to which some further development would produce the bomber version in the Amiot 351 form. The 351 model flew in early 1940 and inevitably led to the production of the Amiot 354.
The Amiot 354 featured twin 1,060 horsepower 14N 14-cylinder radial engines of the Gnome-Rhone brand. Crew accommodation amounted to four personnel to cover the various specialized positions required. Armament consisted of a single 20mm cannon and two 7.5mm machine guns for self-defense. The armament was complimented by a maximum bombload of up to 2,646lbs of ordnance held in an internal bay.
Amiot 354's were available in limited number by the time of the German invasion of France. As a result, the system appeared much too late to be of any effective operational use though it was put to work for the Vichy French Air Force and on several occasions, the German Luftwaffe itself. In the end the system never fulfilled its potential - at least for the nation that designed and produced the aircraft.
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Aircraft Quick Profile
Image courtesy of Dan Alex.
1940
Designation:Amiot 354 Classification Type:Reconnaissance / Bomber Contractor:Amiot - France Country of Origin: France Production Total: 30
Operators: France, Nazi Germany and Vichy France.
Variants
Amiot 370 - Mail plane Transport Platform on which the Amiot 351 bomber platform was derived from.
Amiot 351 - Initial militarized version of the Amiot 370 mail plane platform; fitted with twin tail fins in rear assembly.
Amiot 354 - Second production model based on the Amiot 351 model though fitted with a single tail fin rudder assembly.
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