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Subject: Dewoitine D.520
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Dewoitine D.520
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewoitine_D.520
The Dewoitine D.520 was a French fighter aircraft that entered service in early
1940, shortly after the beginning of World War II. Unlike the Morane-Saulnier
M.S.406, which was at that time the most numerous fighter in the French Air
Force, the Dewoitine D.520 came close to being a match for the latest German
types, such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109. It was slower than the Bf 109E but
superior in manoeuvrability. Because of a delayed production cycle, only a small
number were available for combat against the Luftwaffe.
The D.520 was designed in response to a 1936 requirement from the French Air
Force for a fast, modern fighter with a good climbing speed and an armament
centred on a 20 mm cannon. At the time the most powerful V 12 liquid-cooled
engine available in France was the Hispano-Suiza 12Y, which was less powerful,
but lighter than contemporary engines such as the Rolls-Royce Merlin and
Daimler-Benz DB 601. Other fighters were designed to meet the specifications but
none of them entered service, or entered service in small numbers, too late to
play a significant role during the Battle of France.
An all-metal structure was used, except for fabric-covered ailerons and tail
surfaces. The wing, even if single-spar, was a solid and rigid unit with a
secondary spar and many reinforced parts. The inwardly retracting undercarriage
had a broad 2.83 m (9.3 ft) track, and was fitted with wide, low pressure tyres.
A self-sealing fuel tank with a capacity of 396 litres (87 imp gallons) was
mounted between the engine and cockpit, along with two wing tanks which,
combined, carried another 240 litres (53 imp gallons), for a total of 636 litres
(131 imp gallons); this was considerably more than the contemporary Bf 109E,
Spitfire I and early Italian fighters, each with about 400 litres (88 imp
gallons) fuel capacity. The ferry range was from 1,300 km (810 mi) to 1,500 km
(930 mi) at 450 km/h (280 mph) which, from June 1940, allowed D.520s to escape
to North Africa when France fell. The handling changed according to the amount
of fuel carried; using the fuselage tank alone, fuel consumption had no
appreciable effect on handling because the tank was at the centre of gravity,
but with full wing tanks, directional control was compromised, especially in a
dive. The flight controls were well harmonized and the aircraft was easy to
control at high speed. The maximum dive speed tested was 830 km/h (520 mph) with
no buffeting and excellent stability both in the dive (depending on fuel load)
and as a gun platform.
Role
Fighter aircraft
Manufacturer
SNCAM / SNCASE
First flight
2 October 1938
Introduction
January 1940
Retired
1953
Primary users
French Air Force
Luftwaffe
Regia Aeronautica
Bulgarian Air Force
Number built
The Groupe de Chasse I/3 was the first unit to get the D.520, receiving its
first aircraft in January 1940. These were unarmed and used for pilot training.
In April and May 1940, operational units received 34 production D.520s; the type
proving to be very popular with the pilots. In comparative trials on 21 April
1940 at CEMA at Orleans-Bricy against a captured Bf 109E-3, the German aircraft
had a 32 km/h (20 mph) speed advantage owing to its more powerful engine.
However, the D.520 had superior maneuverability, matching its turning circle,
although displaying nasty characteristics when departing and spinning out of the
turn repeatedly during the tests. The Bf 109, owing to its slats, could easily
sustain the turn on the edge of a stall.
In air combat, mostly against the Italians, the Dewoitine 520s claimed 114 air
victories, plus 39 probables. Eighty five D.520s were lost. By the armistice at
the end of June 1940, 437 D.520s had been built with 351 delivered. After the
armistice, 165 D.520s were evacuated to North Africa. GC I/3, II/3, III/3, III/6
and II/7 flew their aircraft to Algeria to avoid capture. Three more, from GC
III/7, escaped to Britain and were delivered to the Free French. A total of 153
D.520s remained in mainland France. One of the most successful D.520 pilots was
Pierre Le Gloan, who shot 18 aircraft down (four Germans, seven Italian and
seven British), scoring all of his kills with the D.520, and ranked as the
fourth-highest French ace of the war.
After the war, the D.520s that remained in France were used as trainers. One
example was field-modified as a two-seater in late 1945. In March 1946, after
further experiments, the French Air Force ordered a further batch of 20 D.520s
to be converted; however, only 13 of these D.520 DC conversions were completed.
The last flight of an operational D.520 was made on 3 September 1953 with EPAA
Yak-3s, formally of the Normandie-Niemen fighter squadron; these were later
replaced with seven D.520s, three of them being two-seaters.
Specifications (Dewoitine D.520C.1)
General characteristics
Crew: one
Length: 8.6 m (28 ft 3 in)
Wingspan: 10.2 m (33 ft 5? in)
Height: 2.57 m (8 ft 5 in)
Wing area: 15.87 m2 (171 ft2)
Empty weight: 2,123 kg (4,680 lb)
Loaded weight: 2,677 kg (5,902 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 2,785 kg (6,140 lb)
Performance
Maximum speed: 560 km/h (302 kn, 347 mph)
Range: 1,250 km (675 nmi, 777 mi)
Service ceiling: 10,000 m (33,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 14.3 m/s (2,820 ft/min)
Wing loading: 167 kg/m2 (34.2 lb/ft2)
Power/mass: 257 W/kg (0.156 hp/lb)
Armament
Guns:
*
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