Bloch MB.480
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1937 |
| Products | Aircraft (including Bloch MB.480) |
The Bloch MB.480 was a French-designed twin-engine floatplane intended for torpedo-bomber and reconnaissance missions, developed shortly before the outbreak of World War II by Société des Avions Marcel Bloch. Only two prototypes were constructed, as the French Navy ultimately preferred land-based aircraft.
Design and development
In May 1937, the French Air Ministry commissioned Société des Avions Marcel Bloch to produce two prototype floatplanes fulfilling the French Navy's need for a twin-engine torpedo-bomber and reconnaissance platform. The MB.480 featured a low-wing monoplane configuration, bearing similarity to the earlier Bloch MB.131 land reconnaissance and bomber aircraft. It was equipped with a pair of 1,060 hp (791 kW) Gnome-Rhône 14N radial engines and accommodated a crew of five personnel. Defensive weaponry consisted of a 7.5 mm Darne machine gun installed in the nose, a ventral gun position, and a powered dorsal turret mounting a 20 mm cannon. Its internal bomb bay could house bombs, torpedoes, or additional fuel tanks.
The initial prototype took to the air from Étang de Berre in June 1939. The design incorporated an elevated twin-tail configuration to minimize water spray during takeoff and landing phases; tail fins were shortened to preserve the dorsal cannon’s firing arc after raising the tail assembly. The second prototype was completed and flown by October 1939.
Operational history
Although flight testing produced generally positive results, the French Navy decided that land-based aircraft were more suitable for torpedo-bomber reconnaissance assignments. The decision favored the faster Lioré et Olivier LeO 451, which was already in production as a medium bomber for the French Air Force. On 9 September 1939, development testing for the MB.480 was ordered to cease; by 10 December of that year, no procurement contracts had been awarded for the MB.480 or its rivals, the SNCAC NC-410 and Loire-Nieuport 10.
The first prototype was lost on 23 June 1940 after colliding with a pier at Étang de Thau. The second prototype was placed in storage starting July and did not fly thereafter.