The MB.200 was a French bomber aircraft built by Societé des Avions Marcel Bloch, designed in response to a 1932 requirement for a new day/night bomber.

History

As the winning design for the competition, the MB.200 entered the production in 1933, and then equipped 12 French squadrons by end of 1935. Production in France totalled over 200 aircraft, being carried out by a number of different companies, while Czechoslovakia chose the MB.200 as part of their modernisation program in the thirties .

At the rate of aircraft development at that time, the MB.200 would have become obsolete in a couple of years, as indeed it eventually did. However, the Czechoslovakians needed a quick solution involving the license production of a proven design, as their own aircraft industry did not have sufficient development experience with such a large aircraft, or with metal airframes and stressed skin construction. After some delays, both Aero and Avia began license-production in 1937, with a projected total of 74 aircraft. Czechoslovakian MB.200s were basically similar to their French counterparts, with differences in defensive armament and other equipment.

The gradual German conquest of Czechoslovakia meant that MB.200s eventually passed under invasor control, including aircraft that were still coming off the production line. As well as serving in the German airforce, some bombers were distributed to Romania and Bulgaria. A total of 208 aircraft were built in France, by a variety of manufacturers, and 124 in Czechoslovakia

Variants

• MB.200.01 - single prototype
• MB.200B.4 - main production version

Users

• French Air Force (from 1935)
• Czechoslovakian Air Force
• Luftwaffe
• Romanian Air Force
• Bulgarian Air Force

Specifications (MB.200B.4)

General Characteristics

• Crew: four
• Length: 16.00 m (52 ft 6 in)
• Wingspan: 22.45 m (73 ft 8 in)
• Height: 3.90 m (12 ft 10 in)
• Wing area: 62.50 m&sup2 (721 ft&sup2)
• Empty: 4,463 kg (9,480 lb)
• Loaded: kg ( lb)
• Maximum takeoff: 7,480 kg (16,490 lb)
• Powerplant: 2x Gnome-Rhône 14 Kirs, 649 kW (870 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 285 km/h (178 mph)
• Range: 1,000 km (621 miles)
• Service ceiling: 8,000 m (26,245 ft)
• Rate of climb: 260 m/min (852 ft/min)
• Wing loading: kg/m² ( lb/ft²)
• Power/Mass: kW/kg ( hp/lb)

Armament

• 3x 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine guns (one for each defensive post).
• 1,200 kg (2,640 lb) of bombs

References

• Dassault official home page

Related content

Related development: MB.210

Comparable aircraft:

Designation sequence: MB.150 - MB.160 - MB.170 - MB.200 - MB.210 - MB.220 - MB.480

See also:

• List of aircraft of the Armée de l'Air, World War II