France's Bloch M.B. 152 fighter1,3,
Bloch 152 fighter2
Bloch M.B. 152:
Bloch M.B. 152:
Design
The Bloch 152 was produced in tandem with the Bloch 151.2
Main Armament
Unlike the Bloch 151, the machine guns were belt fed.2
Prototype
The Bloch 152 prototype first flew on December 15, 1938.2,3
Production
An order for 200 Bloch 152s with the Gnome-Rhône 14N-25 and 288 with the Gnome-Rhône 14N-49 was made.2
The Bloch MB 152 were produced at the same time as the MB 151s.3 Eventually the MB 152 production took over.3
- MB 150: 13
- MB 151: 1403
- MB 152: 4823
- MB 153: 13
- MB 155: 333
- Total: 6573
Variants
- MB 151
- MB 152: Production.3
- MB 153: Had Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp engine (1,050 HP).3
- MB 155: Had Gnome-Rhône engine.3
Usage
By the middle of January 1940 the Armée de l'Air received 274 Bloch M.B. 152s.1 By May 1940 there were 363 M.B. 152s in service.1 Five gourpes de chasse were equipped with the M.B. 152.1
The first of 482 Bloch 152s delivered to the Armée de l'Air arrived in April 1939.2
MB 152 pilots shot down 146 enemy planes while losing only 86 of their own before the surrender of France in World War II.3
Romania
The Vichy government delivered 20 Bloch 152s to Romania.2,3
| Bloch M.B. 1521,3, Bloch 1522 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Fighter1,2,3 |
| Crew | 11,3 |
| Engine (Type) | Gnome-Rhône 14 N 25 piston1 Gnome-Rhône 14N-252,3 |
| OR | Gnome-Rhône 14N-492 |
| Cylinders | Radial1 |
| Cooling | |
| Net HP | 8701, 1,0002, 1,0803 |
| Propeller blades | 31 |
| Dimensions | |
| Span | 34' 5 3/8"1, 34' 7"2,3 10.5 m1, 10.54 m2,3 |
| Length | 29' 10"3, 29' 10.25"1,2 9.1 m1,2,3 |
| Height | 9' 11"3, 9' 11 1/3"1,2 3.02 m3, 3.03 m1,2 |
| Wing area | 186.4 ft2 1, 186.43 ft2 2 17.32 m2 1,2 |
| Weight | |
| Empty | 4,453 lb1, 4,758 lb2,3 2,020 kg1, 2,158 k2,3 |
| Loaded | 5,842 lb1, 6,173 lb2,3 2,650 kg1, 2,800 kg2,3 |
| Performance | |
| Speed @ 13,120' / 4,000 m |
320 mph3 515 kph3 |
| Speed @ 14,765' / 4,500 m |
316 mph2 509 kph2 |
| Speed @ 16,405' / 5,000 m |
299 mph1 482 kph1 |
| Cruising speed | |
| Climb to 6,560' / 2,000 m |
3.4 minutes2 |
| Climb to 16,000' / 5,000 m |
6 minutes3 |
| Climb to 16,405' / 5,000 m |
60 minutes1 |
| Service ceiling | 32,800'3, 32,810'1 10,000 m1,3 |
| Range | 335 miles2, 373 miles3, 581 miles1 540 km2, 600 km3, 935 km1 |
| Armament | 2: 20 mm HS 4041,2 2: 7.5 mm MAC 1934 MG1,2 |
| OR | 4: 7.5 mm MAC 1934 M392 |
| Wings | 2: 20 mm3 2: 7.5 mm MG3 |
| OR | 4: 7.5 mm MG3 |
Sources:
- Fighting Aircraft of World War II, Editor: Karen Leverington, 1995
- The Great Book of Fighters, William Green, Gordon Swanborough, 1994
- Aircraft of WWII, Stewart Wilson, 1998
