BREGUET BR 695AB.2 'UNDER THE VICHY GOVERNMENT

The Breguet Br 695 AB.2 was a French light bomber and attack aircraft from the Second World War in the spine-wing configuration with a classic landing gear - retractable in flight. The length of this aircraft was 9.4 meters with a wingspan of 15.4 meters. The drive was provided by two Pratt and Whitney R-1535 Twin Wasp Junior engines. The range of the machine was 1,450 kilometers. The Breguet Br 695 AB.2 was created as one of the quite numerous versions of the Br 691 / Br 693 aircraft, which entered the equipment of the Armee de L'Air in the late 1930s. This machine, while generally not a bad design, was powered by relatively weak engines. In order to change this state of affairs, it was decided to install new power units with higher maximum power on it. The aircraft so modernized was called Br 695 AB.2. However, the modernization turned out to be rather unsuccessful, as the weight of the new aircraft increased, which had a negative impact on the machine's performance. The obtained effect was definitely less spectacular than assumed. What's more, the new engines also limited visibility to the sides. Until June 1940, only a few of these aircraft had been produced, most of which later served in the Vichy air force.