Potez 25

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potez_25

Potez 25 (also written as Potez XXV) was a French twin-seat, single-engine
biplane designed during the 1920s. A multi-purpose fighter-bomber, it was
designed as a line aircraft and used in a variety of roles, including fighter
and escort missions, tactical bombing and reconnaissance missions. In the late
1920s and early 1930s, Potez 25 was the standard multi-purpose aircraft of over
20 air forces, including French, Polish and American. It was also popular among
private operators, notably mail transport companies.

The aircraft was further developed into the 25M, a standard parasol-wing
monoplane, which never entered production.


In 1923, the Avions Henry Potez aircraft works started production of a
successful Potez 15 reconnaissance biplane. Basing on experience gathered during
the construction of that aircraft, Henry Potez started working on a new design
of a heavier and faster multi-purpose aircraft. Designated Potez XXV or Potez
25, the prototype was built already in 1924. The main differences included a
larger, more powerful engine and a new wing design. Instead of a classic
biplane, Potez introduced a sesquiplane, with the lower wing significantly
smaller. It was built in two main military variants: Potez 25A2 reconnaissance
aircraft and Potez 25B2 bomber-reconnaissance aircraft.

In May 1925, the prototype was tested at the Service Technique d'Aeronautique
Institute and was found a promising construction both for its manoeuvrability,
speed and durability. Following the tests, the prototype entered serial
production. To promote the new aircraft abroad, in a post-World War I market
filled with hundreds of cheap demobilized aircraft, the Potez 25 was entered
into a large number of races. Among the best-known achievements was a European
rally (7,400 km/4,598 mi) and a Mediterranean rally (6,500 km/4,039 mi), both
won by pilots flying the Potez. In 1920s, the Potez 25 was also used in a
well-advertised Paris-Tehran rally (13,080 km/8,127 mi). In June 1930, Henri
Guillaumet crashed with his Potez 25 in the Andes during an air mail flight. He
survived after trekking through the mountains and was found after one week of
searching.

Such achievements added to aircraft's popularity and made it one of the most
successful French aircraft of the epoch. It was bought by a number of air
forces, including those of France, Switzerland, Belgium, Brazil, Croatia,
Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, Greece, Spain, Japan, Yugoslavia, Paraguay, Poland,
Portugal, Romania, Turkey and the USSR. After the USSR acquired two aircraft for
testing, they decided against further purchases, finding it comparable to the
native Polikarpov R-5. Altogether, approximately 2,500 aircraft were built in
France.

Already in 1925, Poland bought a licence for Potez 25 and started to manufacture
them in Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów (PWS, 150 built) and Plage i Laskiewicz
aircraft works (150 built). In 1928 the first Polish-built Potez 25 were tested
by the Technical Aviation Development Institute in Warsaw and the design was
slightly modified to better fit the needs of the Polish air forces. Among the
notable differences were the introduction of leading edge slots. The production
in Poland ceased in 1932. Altogether, 300 aircraft were built in a number of
versions for long- and short-range reconnaissance and daylight tactical bombing.
As the original Lorraine-Dietrich 12Eb engine was unavailable in Poland, it was
replaced in 47 aircraft with a more powerful PZL Bristol Jupiter VIIF radial
engine, starting from 1936.



Role
Reconnaissance bomber

Manufacturer
Potez

First flight
1924

Introduction
1925

Retired
1940s

Primary users
French Air Force
Polish Air Force

Number built
4,000 (2,500 in France)

Developed from
Potez 23

Variants
Potez 27

Specifications (Potez 25)

General characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 9.2 m (30 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 14.14 m (46 ft 5 in)
Height: 3.59 m (11 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 51.4 m² (553 ft²)
Empty weight: 1,490 kg (3,278 lb)
Useful load: 1,068 kg (2,350 lb)
Loaded weight: 2,558 kg (5,268 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Lorraine-Dietrich 12Eb water-cooled W12 inline engine, 357 kW
(478 hp)

Performance
Maximum speed: 214 km/h (115 kn, 132 mph)
Range: 600 km (324 nmi, 373 mi)
Service ceiling: 5,500 m (18,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 3.5 m/s (690 ft/min)
Wing loading: 49.8 kg/m² (9.53 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.14 kW/kg (0.91 hp/lb)

Armament

2 × 7.7 mm (.303 in) machine guns, fixed in front
1 × 7.7 mm (.303 in) machine gun, on rear cockpit
200 kg bombs




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