Bloch MB.150
| MB.150 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| MB.151 | |
| Role | single seat Interceptor Fighter |
| Manufacturer | SNCASO |
| Designer | Maurice Roussel |
| First flight | October 1937 |
| Primary user | Armée de l'Air |
| Number built | c. 663 |
The Bloch MB.150 (later MB.151 to MB.157) was a French low-wing, all-metal monoplane fighter aircraft with retractable landing gear and enclosed cockpit, developed by Société des Avions Marcel Bloch as a contender in the 1934 French Air Ministry competition for a new fighter design.
Although the competition was won by the Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 prototype, development proceeded culminating in the first attempted flight of the MB.150.01 prototype in 1936. Unfortunately, the aircraft proved unable to leave the ground. With modifications consisting of a strengthened wing of greater area, revised landing gear and installation of a 701 kW (940 hp) Gnome-Rhone 14N-0 radial engine with a three-blade constant speed propeller, the MB.150 finally flew in October 1937.
Handed over to the Centre d'Essais du Materiel Aerien (CEMA) for service trials, its performance proved sufficiently interesting to warrant further development. This brought, at the very beginning of 1938, a small increase in wing span and installation of a 14N-7 engine. When trials were completed in late spring 1938, SNCASO was awarded an order for a pre-production batch of 25 aircraft.
No production of the MB-150.01 occurred, the aircraft being unsuitable for mass production. Redesign led to the MB.151.01 and MB.152.01 prototypes, developed and produced in parallel. By the outbreak of World War II, some 120 had reached the Armée de l'Air, but few of them were flyable, most missing their gunsights and propellers.
The MB.153 and MB.154 were intended as testbeds for American engines, but only the MB.153 flew, and when it crashed a few days later as damaged beyond repair, pursuit of these alternatives also ceased. Instead, attention shifted to extending the range of the MB.152. This was achieved by moving the cockpit aft in order to make room for a new fuel tank. Other modifications included a slightly broader wing and revised aerodynamics around the cowling. The result, named MB.155 performed favourably in flight tests and was ordered into production in 1940, but only 10 aircraft had been completed by the Fall of France. Under the terms of the armistice, the remaining 25 on the production line were completed and delivered into Vichy service. From there, some eventually made their way into the Luftwaffe after 1942.
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