The MB.162 was a rare four-engined heavy bomber development of France in the pre-World War 2 period. The aircraft held roots in the original "MB.160", a fast-mailplane / passenger airliner developed in the mid-to-late 1930s and first-flying in 1937. The MB.160 was developed exclusively to serve French African colony routes globally but only three were eventually built before the start of World War 2 (1939-1945). The militarized bomber form, the MB.162, fared much worse in being built in only a single example and this airframe was taken over by the conquering Germans in 1940 and requisitioned into the Luftwaffe as a long-ranged transport.
In the post-war world, the series continued in civilian (Air France) and military (French Air Force and Navy) service through the 100 completed Sud-Est (SNCASE) SE.161 "Languedoc" aircraft. These were produced from 1945 until 1948 and operated from 1946 until 1964.
The military-minded MB.162 bomber form's prototype was designated "MB.162.01" and recorded its first-flight on June 1st, 1940. The aircraft was slated to enter serial production under the "MB.162 B5" designation and classified as a heavy bomber with a four-engined layout to cover the required war load and range.
Power stemmed from 4 x Gnome-Rhone 14N-48/49 series 14-cylinder twin-row, air-cooled radial piston engines of 1,100 horsepower each. Two engines were placed at each wing mainplane's leading edge and drove three-bladed propellers in the usual fashion. Recorded performance included a maximum speed of 342 miles per hour, a range out to 1,500 miles, and a service ceiling up to 30,000 feet.
Beyond its war load of up to 8,000lbs of drop ordnance, the aircraft would be defensed by a combination of machine guns and autocannons placed at key positions about the airframe. The nose and a ventral position both held 2 x 7.5mm MAC 1934 machine guns while a ventral and dorsal position each held 2 x 20mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 series autocannons.
Structurally, the airframe carried an overall length of 71.10 feet, a wingspan of 92.1 feet, and a height of 12.3 feet. Empty weight was 26,160lb against a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) of 42,000lb.
The aircraft was given a stepped cockpit arrangement to clear the nose for the bombardier / navigator / forward gunner. The nose was heavily glazed and the cockpit was seated over and aft of it with decent views for the piloting crew (a total crew complement of five was supported). The fuselage was well-streamlined for aerodynamic efficiency and capped at its aft-end by a split-vertical fin arrangement sporting upward-canted horizontal planes. The wing mainplanes were low-mounted onto the sides of the fuselage and relatively straight in their general appearance. A traditional tail-dragger undercarriage (retractable) was fitted.
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Specifications
Societe des Avions Marcel Bloch - France Manufacturer(s)
STANDARD:
2 x 7.5mm MAC 1934 machine guns in nose position.
2 x 7.5mm MAC 1934 machine guns in tail position.
2 x 20mm Hispano-Suiza autocannons in dorsal gun position.
2 x 20mm Hispano-Suiza autocannons in ventral gun position.
OPTIONAL:
Up to 8,000lb of internally-held conventional drop stores.
0 Hardpoints
MB.160 - Civilian Transport Model designation; revised tail fin with shortened span; three examples completed.
MB.161 - Definitive production model developed as passenger airliner in post-war period (SE.161 "Languedoc"); 100 examples completed.
MB.162 "Raid" - Long-range mailplane transport.
MB.162.01 - Single prototype example.
MB.162 Bn.5 - Designation of proposed
General Assessment
Firepower
Performance
Survivability
Versatility
Impact
Values are derrived from a variety of categories related to the design, overall function, and historical influence of this aircraft in aviation history.
Overall Rating
The overall rating takes into account over 60 individual factors related to this aircraft entry.
70
Rating is out of a possible 100 points.
Relative Maximum Speed
Hi: 400mph
Lo: 200mph
This entry's maximum listed speed (342mph).
Graph average of 300 miles-per-hour.
City-to-City Ranges
NYC
LON
LON
PAR
PAR
BER
BER
MOS
MOS
TOK
TOK
SYD
SYD
LAX
LAX
NYC
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).
Max Altitude Visualization
Design Balance
The three qualities reflected above are altitude, speed, and range.
Aviation Era Span
Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.
Unit Production (105)
105
36183
44000
Compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian).
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