Loire Aviation
| Company type | Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aircraft manufacturing |
| Founded | 1925 |
| Fate | Merged into Société Anonyme Loire-Nieuport (1935); later nationalized and merged into SNCAO (1936) |
| Headquarters | Saint-Nazaire , France |
| Products | Seaplanes, military aircraft |
Loire Aviation was a French aircraft manufacturer active during the interwar years, with a focus on seaplane production, headquartered in Saint-Nazaire, France.
History
Established in 1925 as a branch of Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire (ACL), a shipbuilding firm located in Saint-Nazaire, Loire sought to expand into naval aviation by utilizing ACL's metalworking and ship construction expertise to manufacture seaplanes intended for the French postal service. Initially collaborating with Gourdou-Leseurre, Loire produced 257 GL 32 aircraft under license at a newly established factory in Saint-Nazaire.
Following its split from Gourdou-Leseurre in 1928, Loire became an autonomous company by 1930, creating original aircraft designs crafted by Asselot, Jarrion, and Guegand Kerguistel. The enterprise manufactured around 232 units of the Loire 11 seaplane alongside multiple other models bearing its own brand.
In 1933, Loire combined operations with Nieuport (then known as Nieuport-Astra), while preserving separate manufacturing sites: Saint-Nazaire and La Baule for Loire, and Issy-les-Moulineaux and Villacoublay for Nieuport. Both firms competed for a French Air Force fighter contract, which was eventually awarded to Morane Saulnier for the MS 406. This led to a complete merger in 1935, resulting in the formation of Société Anonyme Loire-Nieuport (SALN).
In 1936, the company underwent nationalization and was merged with Breguet near Nantes to establish the Société Nationale des Constructions Aéronautiques de l'Ouest (SNCAO).
Aircraft
- Loire 11 (1930) Three-seat, single-engine monoplane designed for general purposes
- Loire 30 (1932) Night reconnaissance monoplane powered by three engines
- Loire 43 (1932) Single-engine fighter aircraft
- Loire 45 (1933) Fighter derived from the Loire 43 model
- Loire 46 (1934) Advanced single-engine fighter evolved from Loire 43/45
- Loire 50 (1931) Amphibious liaison aircraft with single engine
- Loire 501 (1933) Liaison amphibian developed as an iteration of Loire 50
- Loire 60 (1932) Long-range reconnaissance flying boat equipped with three engines
- Loire 70 (1933) Three-engine flying boat designed for extended reconnaissance missions
- Loire 102 (1936) Parasol-wing flying boat with three engines intended for transatlantic mail service
- Loire 130 (1934) Single-engine reconnaissance flying boat launched via catapult
- Loire 210 (1935) Floatplane fighter with single engine and catapult launch capability
- Loire 250 (1935) Monoplane fighter powered by one engine
- Loire-Nieuport 10 (1939) Twin-engine floatplane designed for long-range reconnaissance
- Loire-Nieuport 161 (1935) Single-engine monoplane fighter aircraft
- Loire-Nieuport LN.401 (1938) Dive bomber featuring a single engine