The long-range bomber MV.162 B5 with a crew of five, in terms of its characteristics, was supposed to surpass all existing or created machines of this class in the world. It was slightly smaller than the Boeing YB-17, which was then supplied to the US Army Air Corps. The wing area and wingspan were smaller by about 10%. But the French bomber had more weight and a significant advantage in speed. In terms of range, however, it was somewhat inferior to the American car.

A full-size model of the bomber was exhibited in Paris at the Aeronautics Show in November 1938. At that time, four Hispano-Suiza 14AA 12/13 radial air-cooled engines were already supposed to be the power plant. However, then the priority was given to the passenger MB. 161. The construction of the experimental MB.162-01 was started at the SNCASO plant in Courbevoie only in 1939. The aircraft was finally assembled at Villacoublay in the spring of 1940.

MB. 162 had an all-metal construction. The gas tanks were located between the main spars, the maximum fuel supply was 6500 liters, located in eight tanks. The fuselage was an all-metal monocoque. The crew of five consisted of two pilots, a navigator-bombardier, a radio operator and a top gunner. The main landing gear was retracted forward in flight into the inner engine nacelles and partially closed with two flaps. Defensive armament consisted of a 20-mm cannon on a mechanized upper turret, the same cannon plus a 7.5-mm machine gun in the lower installation (also mechanized) and another 7.5-mm machine gun in the very nose of the bombardier navigator.

MB.162-01 did not take off until June 1, 1940, however, when German troops approached Villacoublay, they risked overtaking the plane to Bordeaux, where it still fell into enemy hands. The SNCASO plant in this city was transferred to the subordination of the German company Focke-Wulf. The management of the enterprise received instructions to start flight tests of MB.162-01. The tests were carried out throughout 1942, but the next year the prototype aircraft flew to Germany, where it got into a special air group, which was conducting covert operations at a great distance from its bases. His subsequent fate is unknown.

Photo	Description
	Drawing Bloch MB.162
	Bloch MB.162 в двух проекциях

Bibliography

• Aviation in World War II. Aircraft of France. / Aviation collection 10 /
• French Aircraft of World War II /Aviafrance./

Add Comment

July 29, 2019
On the internet, you can see two projections of this aircraft at the Paris Air Show, but this is only a full-size model, not an aircraft. And it remains for us only to observe the photo of the only long-range bomber created by the French "against the background" of the Nazi warriors who conquered them ...

--