[WWII] Bleriot-SPAD S.510

[Phaelen Bleux]

Biplane of the Month Club: October

Bleriot-SPAD S.510
Despite the arrival of monoplane designs, some pilots and designers still felt that biplane aircraft would prove to be acceptable fighters thanks to their tight turning capability. Alas, speed was found to be the superior variable, and the S.510 was obsolete before it ever entered service. Surpassed by the Dewoitine D.510, the S.510 only secured an order in 1935 through the efforts of French ace pilot Louis Massot, who was able to demonstrate the biplane's excellent rate of climb and maneuverability. While 60 planes were ordered, by the outbreak of WWII, the plane was in reserve service only. It is possible that some 15-27 planes saw service with the Spanish Republican Air Force during the Spanish Civil War; although these planes were recorded as delivered, it is unclear if the planes were ever actually sent.
The S.510 burns 26 gallons of aviation fuel per hour at routine usage. The plane has a historical range of 543 miles. A full load of fuel and ammo costs $38.

Bleriot-SPAD S.510C.1
Subassemblies: Recon Fighter chassis +2; Recon Fighter wings with Biplane option +2; 2 fixed wheels +0.
Powertrain: 515-kW HP gasoline engine with 515-kW prop and 90-gallon standard fuel tank (Fire 14) [Body].
Occ.: 1 XCS Body
Cargo: 2 Body

Armor
Body: 2/3
Wings: 2/2C
Wheels: 2/3

Weaponry:
4xAircraft LMG/7.5mm MAC 1934 [Wings:F] (500 rounds each).*
*Linked to fire in pairs or all four together.

Statistics:
Size: 24'x29'x12' Payload: 0.47 tons Lwt.: 1.85 tons
Volume: 96 Maint.: 96 hours Cost: $4,383

HT: 7. HPs: 30 Body, 50 each Wing, 3 each Wheel.

aSpeed: 231 aAccel: 8 aDecel: 19 aMR: 5 aSR: 1
Stall Speed: 54 mph. Take-Off Run: 224 yards. Landing Run: 292 yards.
gSpeed: 267 gAccel: 13 gDecel: 10 gMR: 0.5 gSR: 2
Ground Pressure: Very High. 1/8 Off-Road Speed.

Design Notes:
Historical wing area was 237 sf. The weight, cost and HPs of the body were double to increased design weight (and design HT); loaded weight was increased another 3%. Some sources list loaded weight as 4,034 lbs.; since this would require even more fudging, and empty design weight was within 2% of the historical, the lower historical loaded weight was used in this design. MG load outs are a guess; the guns were actually installed in cupolas on the bottoms of the wings; these were subsumed into the wing for ease of design. Design aSpeed was 250 mph. Performance calculations were based on historical values for wing area and loaded weight. Fuel capacity was based on a rough calculation of the plane's historical range at Cruising speed and design fuel consumption.

Variants:
The S.710 was a single plane designed with retractable landing gear, an enclosed cockpit, and a 641-kW power plant. The plane was first flown in 1937, reaching a top speed of 292 mph. It crashed in June 1937, killing the test pilot.