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Страна: Франция

Год: 1919

Единственный экземпляр

J.Davilla, A.Soltan French Aircraft of the First World War (Flying Machines)

S.I.A. BN2

  This bomber was designed by Henri Coanda to meet the 1917 specification for a heavy night bomber. The aircraft of this class were to be able to carry 1,200 kg of bombs. Other aircraft designed to meet the BN requirements included the Caudron C.23, Caproni 3 BN3, Letord 9, Delattre BN3, Bassan-Gue BN4, Voisin 12, Renault O 1, and the Sikorsky BN3.
  The aircraft was built at Angers and made wide use of duralumin construction. Duralumin had been looked upon with some suspicion by the STAe, but Louis Breguet had employed it in his very successful Breguet 14 design. Its combination of strength and low weight was perfectly suited for use in a heavy bomber.
  The aircraft was a large biplane powered by two 400-hp Liberty engines. The wings appear to have been of equal span with three bays of struts outboard of each engine. The engines were suspended on struts between the upper and lower wings near the fuselage. The short nose protruded just ahead of the engine nacelles, and there was a gunner's station in the nose position. There was a biplane tail with three vertical stabilizers mounted between the upper and lower horizontal stabilizers. Two rudders projected behind the horizontal stabilizers. The landing gear consisted of two pairs of wheels, each pair beneath one of the engines. Prominent bracing struts extended from the base of each engine nacelle. These were V-shaped and attached to the base of each wheel axle. The armament actually fitted to the prototype (if any) is not known but a model of the project shows several machine guns and a cannon were being considered.
  Construction apparently was still under way at the time of the Armistice. The Coanda-S.I.A.bomber was subsequently evaluated in 1919 by the STAe and a favorable report was issued. However, probably as a result of the Armistice and the entry into service of the Caudron C.23, the S.I.A. bomber was canceled.



S.I.A.-Coanda Lorraine Bomber

  Apparently this aircraft was developed in parallel with the Liberty-engined S.I.A. bomber described above. It had identical dimensions and performance data except for being powered by two 400-hp Lorraine engines. It is probable that two parallel designs were necessitated by the engine shortage at that time, bombers being given low priority for available engines. In any event, the Coanda-S.I.A. bomber actually built was fitted with Liberty engines and it seems likely that the Lorraine-powered version was never completed.

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  • J.Davilla, A.Soltan French Aircraft of the First World War (Flying Machines)