Aircrafttotal Encyclopedia


Role	Bomber and reconnaissance
Manufacturer	Bréguet
Designer	Marcel Vuillierme
First flight	21 November 1916
Introduction	May 1917
Status	Retired
Primary users	Aéronautique Militaire US Army Air Service Polish Air Force Royal Thai Air Force
Produced	1916–1928
Number built	c. 8,000
Developed from	Bréguet AV
Variants	Bréguet 16 and 17

The Bréguet XIV (in contemporary practice) or Bréguet 14 was a French biplane bomber and reconnaissance aircraft of World War I. It was built in very large numbers and production continued for many years after the end of the war. The Bréguet 14 was among the first mass-produced aircraft to use large amounts of aluminium, rather than wood or steel, in its structure. This allowed the airframe to be both lighter and stronger, in turn making the aircraft fast and agile and it was able to outrun some contemporary fighters

The Bréguet 14 was designed by aviation pioneer and aeronautical engineer Louis Bréguet. Bréguet had already built a reputation for producing capable aircraft and for having innovative ideas, including the use of metal in aircraft construction. The outbreak of the First World War in 1914 led to Bréguet-built aircraft being ordered by the military air services of several Triple Entente nations. He temporarily abandoned the preferred tractor configuration for a pusher design to satisfy the French general staff, who sought a clear forward view for the observer..

Into flight

Louis Bréguet took the prototype into the air for the first time on 21 November 1916. In November 1916, the S.T.Aé. had issued requirements for four new aircraft types, and Bréguet submitted the XIV for two of those - reconnaissance and bomber.

The prototype was passed to the S.T.Aé on 11 January 1917 for trials and was accepted to fill both roles. The report issued on 7 February 1917 from the trials stated that the prototype had attained a speed of 172 km/h (107 mph) at an altitude of 2,000 m (6,600 ft). On 22 February 1917, Bréguet asked the S.T.Aé about initiating production and informed them on 2 March that jigs were ready. On 6 March 1917, the first official production order was received by Bréguet, calling for 150 Bréguet XIV A.2 reconnaissance aircraft and an additional order for 100 XIV B.2 bombers was received on 4 April. The A.2 was equipped with several cameras, while some also had radios. The lower wing of the 14 B.2 was fitted with Michelin-built bomb racks for thirty-two 115 mm (4.5 in) bombs. To avoid the bomb racks jamming the flaps, a forward extension of the wings was added, while transparent panels were added to the sides of the fuselage to aid in the use of the bomb sight.

Société anonyme des ateliers d'aviation Louis Breguet

Société anonyme des ateliers d'aviation Louis Breguet
Bréguet XIV French biplane bomber

General Info

Crew: Two
Length: 8.870 m (29 ft 1 in)
Upper wingspan: 14.364 m (47 ft 2 in) with original ailerons

14.86 m (48.8 ft) with balanced ailerons

Lower wingspan: 13.664 m (44 ft 10 in) with original ailerons

13.284 m (43.58 ft) with balanced ailerons

Height: 3.33 m (10 ft 11 in)
Wing area: 50.2 m² (540 sq ft) with original ailerons

48.5 m² (522 sq ft) with balanced ailerons

Powerplant

Empty weight: 1,017 kg Gross weight: 1,769 kg Powerplant: 1 × Renault 12Fcx V-12 water-cooled piston engine, 220 kW (300 hp) Alternative engines Renault 12Fcy 230 kW (310 hp) Renault 12Fe 240 kW (320 hp) sometimes fitted with Rateau turbocharger Renault 12Ff 260 kW (350 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 195 km/h (121 mph,
Endurance: 2 hours 45 minutes
Service ceiling: 6,200 m (20,300 ft)
Rate of climb: 4.867 m/s (958.1 ft/min)
Time to altitude: ::2,000 m (6,600 ft) in 9 minutes 15 seconds

3,000 m (9,800 ft) in 16 minutes 30 seconds

5,000 m (16,000 ft) in 47 minutes

Related development

- Guns: 1 × fixed 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Vickers machine gun + 2 × flexible 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Lewis Gun on T.O.3 or T.O.4 mount for the observer
- Bombs: up to 355 kg (783 lb) of bombs, typically 32x 8 kg (18 lb) 115mm bombs

Special Links Société anonyme des ateliers d'aviation Louis Breguet

Links to Youtube & Others

The Bf 108A first flew in 1934, followed by the Bf 108B in 1935. The Bf 108B used the substantially larger, 12.67 litre displacement Argus As 10 air-cooled inverted V8 engine. The nickname Taifun (German for "typhoon") was given to her own aircraft by Elly Beinhorn, a well-known German pilot, and was generally adopted

Bréguet XIV French biplane bomber

Development of the type continue and in 1935 the Bf 108B appeared with the fin and rudder having undergone modifications.

Youtube Link

Conceived as a competitive aircraft the Bf 108 would take part in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

Bréguet XIV (in contemporary practice) or Bréguet 14 was a French biplane bomber