AMIOT 143

The Amiot 143 was a more powerful re-engined version of the Amiot 140 of 1931 vintage, and retained the fixed non retractable undercarriage.
This all metal aircraft, with its distintive two-deck fuselage, had a wing section so deep that the flight engineer could access the engines in flight. The large aerodynamic fairings that covered the wheels were 7ft long.

Five French Groupes de Bombardement were equipped with this type in may 1940 when Germany invaded France and the Low Contries. After carrying out early raids dropping propaganda leaflets on Germany, they were restricted to night-bombing of the advancing German colums. In a rare daylight bombing raid against bridges on May 14, 1940 12 out of 13 Amiot 143 were shot down.

At the time of France´s surrender, only 50Amiot 143aircraft remained, and these subsequently formed part of the French Vichy Air Force. By then obsolete, many were converted for use in the transport role.

First flight: August 1934
Power: 2 Gnome-Rhone 870hp 14 cylinder radial engines.
Armament: Four 0.29in MAC 1934 machine-guns, one each in nose and dorsal turrets and fore and aft in ventral gondola, internal an external bomb load of up to 1761lb.
Size: Wingspan 80ft 5in.
          Length 59ft 11in.
          Height 18ft 7 in.
          Wing Area 1076.4sq ft.
Weights: Empty 13426lb.
                   Maximun take-off 21350lb.
Performance: Maximun speed 193mph.
                             Service ceiling 25920ft.
                             Range 746 miles.