Lebaudy Frères
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sugar production, Airship manufacturing |
| Founder | Paul Lebaudy, Pierre Lebaudy |
| Headquarters | Moisson , France |
| Products | Sugar, Semi-rigid airships |
Lebaudy Frères was a French enterprise specializing in sugar production, headquartered in Moisson, France. In addition to their primary industry, they were notable for manufacturing semi-rigid airships during the early 1900s. Several of these airships were commissioned by various European military forces.
Operation
The Lebaudy siblings, Paul and Pierre Lebaudy, proprietors of a sugar refining business, partnered with engineer Henri Julliot to conceive and construct semi-rigid airships. These airships were adopted by the French army, Russian army, and Austrian army. They established a dedicated airship hangar in Moisson, situated near the River Seine, contributing significantly to pioneering airship technology.
Their semi-rigid designs gained the attention of the French War Ministry, which placed orders for military deployment.
Airships designed by Henri Julliot for Lebaudy Frères
Under Henri Julliot's guidance, Lebaudy Frères produced pressure airships incorporating steel-tube keel girders and employing lifting planes to manage trim control.
| Works No. | Name (Trial Date) |
Length (m) | Beam (m) | Volume (m³) | Power (h.p.) | Speed (km/h) | Remarks | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lebaudy (Nov 1902) |
56.5 | 9.8 | 2,284 | 40 | 35 | The first modern airship to achieve success, featuring an Astra envelope and Mercedes engine; endurance recorded at 98 km over 2.75 hours. Reconstructed following storm damage in 1904. | |
| la | Lebaudy II (Aug 1904) |
56.5 | 9.8 | 2,660 | 40 | 35 | Rebuilt from Lebaudy I after repairs; resumed flights but required additional hull maintenance after storm damage. | |
| Ib | Lebaudy III (Jul 1905) |
56.5 | 10 | 2,950 | 50 | 35 | Acquired by the French Army in December 1905 for Frs. 80,000 ($16,000); achieved an altitude of 1,370 m. | |
| Ic | Lebaudy IV (Oct 1908) |
61 | 10.3 | 3,300 | 70 | 40 | Reconstructed by the Army Airship Works for the French Army; maximum altitude reached was 1,550 m; dismantled in 1912. | |
| 2 | Patrie (Nov 1906) |
61 | 10.3 | 3,250 | 60 | 45 | Operated by the French Army; after overhaul, endurance was 240 km over 6.75 hours; lost during an Atlantic storm in November 1907. | |
| 2a | (Nov 1907) | 61 | 10.9 | 3,650 | 60 | 45 | ||
| 3 | La République (Jun 1908) |
61 | 10.9 | 3,700 | 70 | 50 | Employed by the French Army; completed a closed-circuit endurance flight of 210 km; destroyed mid-flight in August 1909 with loss of crew. | |
| 4 | Lebedj (ex-Russie) (May 1909) |
61.2 | 10.9 | 3,800 | 70 | 49 | Russian Army asset powered by a Panhard-Levassor engine; ballonet capacity measured at 900 m³. | |
| 5 | Liberté (Aug 1909) |
65 | 12.5 | 4,200 | 120 | 45 | Modified following the 'République' disaster before entering service with the French Army. | |
| 5a | (Jun 1910) | 84 | 12.8 | 7,000 | 120 | 53 | Equipped with two Panhard-Levassor engines; intended endurance of eight hours; dismantled in 1914. | |
| 6 | M. II (May 1910) |
70 | 10.9 | 4,800 | 130 | 45 | Built for the Austrian Army by Motor-Luftfahrzeug Gesellschaft Vienna following Lebaudy design; endurance planned for ten hours; dismantled in 1913. | |
| 7 | Lebaudy Morning Post (Sep 1910) |
103 | 12 | 9,800 | 270 | 55 | Funded through a London newspaper subscription for the British Army; powered by two Panhard-Levassor engines; completed a flight from Moisson to Aldershot (370 km) in five and a half hours; destroyed in May 1911 due to pilot error during maneuvering. | |
| 8 | Lebaudy Kretchet (1911) |
70 | 14 | 5,680 | 200 | 50 | Constructed for the Russian Army Airship Works based on Lebaudy plans; equipped with two Panhard-Levassor engines. | |
| 9 | Lebaudy Capitaine-Marchal (1911) |
85 | 12.8 | 7,200 | 160 | 50 | Named after the commander of 'République'; served the French Army with an endurance designed for ten hours; dismantled in 1914. | |
| 10 | Lebaudy Lieut. Selle-de-Beauchamp (1911) |
89 | 14.6 | 10,000 | 200 | 55 | Named after a balloon officer; operated by the French Army with a twelve-hour endurance design and maximum altitude of 1,685 m. | |
| 11 | Lebaudy Tissandier (1914) |
140 | 15.5 | 28,000 | 1,350 | 80 | French Army airship featuring nine Salmson engines distributed across three gondolas; armed with machine guns and equipped with wireless communication capable of reaching 600 km; endurance planned for fifteen hours at full speed and an operational ceiling of 2,500 m. |